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Re-reading the Kennedy-Vatican letters

E-mail|Link|Comments () Posted by Michael Paulson September 2, 2009 11:51 AM

In this morning's Globe, I have a story about the exchange of letters between Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and the Vatican. An excerpt:

Scholars generally agree that Kennedy’s letter to Pope Benedict XVI, which had remained secret from the time of its delivery July 10 until the time it was read aloud at his burial Saturday, revealed a man eager to explain how he reconciled his public actions with his private beliefs, and hungry for the prayers and support of his church.
The response, in turn, revealed the top echelon of the church to be far less conflicted and chastising than some of its American adherents, offering comfort rather than confrontation.

“The letters reflect the cordiality and mutual respect that ought to characterize relationships within the Catholic community, even when there are serious differences,’’ said the Rev. Thomas P. Rausch, a professor of Catholic theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angles. And the Rev. Richard P. McBrien, a theologian at Notre Dame, said, “The Vatican’s warm reply to the senator’s letter was in striking contrast to the harshly negative rhetoric some of his critics have directed at him, even in death.’’

You can read the whole story here. And I've posted on this blog a transcript of Cardinal McCarrick's remarks at the burial, including the excerpts of the letters.

(Photo, by Dina Rudick of the Globe staff, shows a scene from the burial of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 29, 2009.)

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2 comments so far...

Of course Kennedy was hungry for support. His conscience was killing him because of his enabling of the murder of millions of unborn children. This letter is extremely telling.

Abortion is intrinsically evil and always has been recognized as such by the Church. What is the surprise about his guilt?

Posted by KJR September 2, 09 12:15 PM

This article, much like Paulson's last couple of blog postings is a trashy attempt to generate controversy when there is none. The whole article is laughable. In the excerpts of the letter from the Pope that was read at the funeral, it is as obvious as the nose on your face that there is nothing to indicate that the Pope or the Church is softening its stances on certain issues. Look at the letter and use some common sense. The pope was responding with comfort to a dying man. The apostolic blessing and spiritual closeness was the Pope's way of showing compassion and giving comfort to someone who was gravely ill. Given that Kennedy had informed the Pope in his letter that he was dying, the Pope did the right thing and did not use his papal letter as an occasion to chastise or lecture Kennedy. Instead he showed compassion and kindess to even those who disagree with the Catholic Church which is a key point in Church doctrine.

The most absurd thing here is that these journalists and scholars are acting surprised and giddy that the Pope did not take a harsh tone with the late Senator. They are all in a fantasy world where they are imagining that the letter signifies a more moderate or softer stance from the Vatican on abortion and homosexuality.

If the Pope did chastise or reprimand Kennedy and lectured him on Catholic morality, then there would be outrage from this same group that the Pope would take a harsh tone with a dying man. Pope Benedict sent the appropriate response. To say that it implies anything other than words of comfort or compassion is tabloid jounalism at its worst. Get over it and stop sensationalizing the words of comfort to a dying man for the sake of ratings and increasing subscribers. It is just tasteless.

Also, the mark of any trashy tabloid piece about the Catholic Church or the Pope is that the writer will go to Richard P. McBrien for a quote or any analysis. McBrien is a dissident Catholic, lousy priest and even worse theologian. He should have been excommunicated years ago and shipped to the nearest Unitarian Universalist Church. He has done nothing but openly oppose the Vatican on many issues. To use him as a reference or expert on the Vatican or the Catholic Church is a joke.

Posted by Matthias September 2, 09 12:38 PM

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Michael Paulson covers religion for The Boston Globe. He shared in the Pulitzer Prize in 2003, won the Mike Berger, Templeton and Supple awards in 2008, and is a four-time winner of the Wilbur Award.
E-mail mpaulson@globe.com.

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Harvey Cox, the Hollis professor of divinity at Harvard University, marks his retirement by asserting a little-used right of his professorship -- to graze a cow in Harvard Yard. Photo, by Barry Chin of the Globe staff, taken on Sept. 10, 2009 in Cambridge, Mass.