Wisconsin bishop defends Kennedy funeral

Thanks for posting this Michael, it does remind us of our obligation for mercy at all times.

I am especially grateful for Bishop Morlino's unequivocal renunciation of this phony idea that "I am personally opposed to abortion, but..." nonsense. He was clear in that such an approach is "irreparably flawed".

Thanks again for posting.

Graceful, thoughtful, and eminently pastoral remarks. Thank you, Bishop.

So how come O Malley wasn't officiating at Gerry Anjuilo's funeral. Doesn't he deserve Christian forgiveness or was his donations to the poor box too light. The fawning over Kennedy was over the top and SOOOOO hypocritical!

One could easily argue that Senator Kennedy accomplished more for the American poor, the sick, the old, the children, and the physically and mentally challenged; and worked harder to make decent health care and education accessible to all, than the Boston Archdiocese or anyone else you might name. When you can show us that you've helped your fellow man more than he did, perhaps the rest of us will pay more attention to your complaining about his not deserving a Catholic funeral or our admiration, respect, and gratitude.

I've always assumed that his advocacy for the underprivileged was not just a personal drive or ambition, but also a form of atonement for his crime. Would that everyone's penance didn't just consist of Hail Marys.

Good for the Bishop but there will always be people who find fault and introduce other topics into the scene. Some sound like authorities on what the Bishops do and don´t do. Wake up Boston. For me Kennedy did more harm than good but i too forgive him for hurting my state and the minds of the people.

Nobody that I know wishes hell fire for anyone, even their personal enemies, but the prelates who presided over Kennedy's funeral and burial have no authority to pre-empt God's judgement.

Wisdom, 6:

6:2 Give ear, ye that rule the people, and glory in the multitude of nations.

6:3 For power is given you of the Lord, and sovereignty from the Highest, who shall try your works, and search out your counsels.

6:4 Because, being ministers of his kingdom, ye have not judged aright, nor kept the law, nor walked after the counsel of God;

6:5 Horribly and speedily shall he come upon you: for a sharp judgment shall be to them that be in high places.

6:6 For mercy will soon pardon the meanest: but mighty men shall be mightily tormented.

6:7 For he which is Lord over all shall fear no man’s person, neither shall he stand in awe of any man’s greatness: for he hath made the small and great, and careth for all alike.

6:8 But a sore trial shall come upon the mighty.

The good bishop seems to think Ted Kennedy was a senator from the Vatican. He wasn't. He represented the people of Massachusetts, most of whom, though not all, agreed with his position. I am reminded of Gloria Steinem's observation years ago that "if men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament!" Why does anyone but some Catholics care what a group of purportedly celibate old men think about any of these issues? I don't recall any of this indignation about sexul abuse by the clergy. being voiced by bishops and cardinals. Many of them tried to make us believe it never really happened.

Bishop Morlino says, "The priests and theologians who counseled Senator Kennedy are not free of blame for causing the confusion and the ambiguity through false catechesis." Very true, but we can't ignore the fact that the senator was a grown adult, who had the luck to be catechized in the 1940s and '50s in the true doctrines of his faith before moral relativism held sway.
The bishop also notes "an apparent rejection of mercy on the part of not a few Catholics." I've struggled with that idea myself, but is it merciful for a shepherd of the church NOT to "speak like a lion from the pulpit"? I didn't see any Catholic lions at the senator's funeral. I believe the majority of people who objected to how the Cardinal handled the funeral were not being uncharitable. They acknowledged that a funeral Mass should certainly be celebrated for his soul, but they objected to the hoopla surrounding it, which ignored how much the senator actively worked against the rights of the unborn and the sanctity of marriage.

Elle: "I've always assumed that his advocacy for the underprivileged was not just a personal drive or ambition, but also a form of atonement for his crime." He did do much as you stated, but your observation is well stated: Cover for his crime.

He is not alone if you are correct..

Abortion is a sacrament, Ann, to those who think that the very unnatural killing of one's own unborn child is ever justified. Certainly the unborn child whose limbs are being ripped off and brains are being sucked out would not agree.

"I don't recall any of this indignation about sexul abuse by the clergy."

Shut up and stop it already. You do not need to write attacks against the Church in EVERY single post. Stop your hate and confess your sins.

How old are you, "Stick"? Six? That's the level of your response. It would be nice if this blog were restricted to adults. Until they are I'lll quit reading any of them.

So, Bishop, are you condemning the Catholic Church for denying public funerals to public sinners so many countless times in the past?

Why should it have been any different in this case? Kennedy was far worse than any of them, publicly speaking (becuase, obviously, I do not know the state of his soul)

It is unbelivable the level of blindness people can call down upon themselves if they so choose.

what about the fact that he remarried after a divorce???

So, how many angels CAN dance on the head of a pin? There is not a Roman Catholic in this world, with the possible exception of the Pope, who is capable of exercising mercy regarding the final judgment on the many problematic areas of Mr. Kennedy's life and what some see as offsetting good.

It is appropriate, however, for Roman Catholics to make their own judgments about whether the behavior of Cardinals O'Malley and McCarrick gave scandal by appearing to honor a man who was in Benedict XVI's own words (paraphrased), excommunicated by his own actions. Barring violation of the Seal of Confession, the Cardinals could not have made any judgment other than that they were honoring someone excommunicated. If that isn't scandalous behavior then what is?

The mercy part is God's alone.

Another of the "Yes, but-ers" whose passion for mercy does not seem to recognize the reality of millions of babies murdered. Is it because of the word 'babies", or the word "concepti", or is it because they are not visible pre-birth, or is it, as Bishop Martino of Scranton fears, we simply have become so accustomed to the prevalence abortion and chemical contraceptive/abortiofacients that we are now blase' about their merciless reality? Yes, Ted Kennedy facilitated the dismembering/saline solution burning/skull cracking & vacuuming of millions of human beings, in additon to those additional millions merely swept chemically away as concepti from their mothers' wombs, but he did some good things and these things just rate more highly. The "Yes, but-ers" say it is impolite, judgemental, and uncharitable to not honor some personages post-mortem in spite of their facilitating the killing of millions of human beings, though in the case of other such persons in history we can correctly omit the public honoring.

"I sent you, my child, into your capitol city to approach two with great power. We were not mistaken in the reaction, my child. More prayers are needed. You will write, and you must give out the knowledge without hesitating, that Heaven expects and commands the last of his clan in manhood to speak out and defend his Faith in your city of Washington! If he does not, my child, he will be condemned. He will be taken, my child, when he is unprepared.
"Warn him once more, my child and my children, in the mercy that you have for your brothers. Speak out without fear, my child. It is too late; the hour grows late. You must now speak out and use the name.
“You will write to Ted Kennedy and tell him that he faces eternal damnation.” - Our Lady of the Roses, September 6, 1975

The 1983 Code of Canon Law speaks of the role of the laity and states in Canon 212 (3): "According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons."

I pray for Kennedy's soul, but even more so for the fawning clergy and layman who create scandal by lionizing this man.

Give the guy a Catholic funeral, but don't canonize him so publically.

It's disgusting to see our leaders fawning over him.

Ted Kennedy, Champion of Abortion "Rights" Rest in Peace.

While Catholic tradition is that Catholics must not publicly criticize clergy in most cases, saints of the Church and Popes have fought against the clericalism that would suggest faithful lay persons may never express public concern about clergy regardless of the circumstances. In recent years there have been many very serious circumstances involving Catholic clergy that have called for strong lay comment, without which some of those situations would still not have been addressed by the Church.

Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) defended the hierarchy in the Church, but also declared "when circumstances make it necessary, it is not prelates alone who have to watch over the integrity of the faith."

St. Thomas Aquinas, in his most famous work Summa Theologica (II, II, q. 33, a. 4) wrote: "When there is an imminent danger for the Faith, Prelates must be questioned, even publicly, by their subjects."

Is this a serious and necessary occasion? One of the most senior Catholic pro-life activists in the United States, American Life League President Judie Brown thinks so. Brown, appointed by Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Academy for Life, said of the Kennedy funeral affair: “The entire travesty, from the television cameras to spectacle itself, goes beyond anything I have witnessed in my more than 65 years of life. In fact, while we all thought the appearance of President Barrack Obama at the University of Notre Dame was a scandal, the very idea that he offered a eulogy in a basilica, while the real presence of Christ was in the tabernacle, is perhaps the most dastardly thing I have ever seen.”

I had an aunt who had married a divorced man. She was not allowed to take Communion by her parish priest, and her children were considered "Bastards". She never, in her life, harmed anyone. She was a kind and just woman.
I have watched the Kennedys, for many years, have things their way with the Catholic Church. The Church is for sale to the highest bidder, and shame on them.

Assuming that Bishop Morlino's history of Catholic theology is accurate, there have been an awful lot of awfully sinful people posting on this forum.

From the earliest days of the Church it was defined as sinful to enjoy the thought that someone might be in Hell. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit worked powerfully through history so that Hell could be avoided by the proper exercise of human freedom, and to take delight in the perceived foiling of God's plan is wrong.

If God in any of his/her/its/their forms takes delight in the prospect of people enduring pain for zillions of years, then he/she/it/them has pretty poor claim for being merciful.

The Bishop is nothing but a hypocrite. He goes where the money is or comes from.
The poor people of Boston who attend church still give their share of their income to the Church, but they are never there to give a helping hand to them. I wonder what would happen is the poor went to the Bishop and asked for rent money. I know - they would be sent away and told to go to the welfare office and guess who pays for that? Not the catholic church, but the taxpayer of MA The younger generation have it right - they just don't attend Mass anymore.

Peophiles of the world unite!
What Bull Juice! Kennedy's "donate" dollars to the church, Pontiff looks the other way; sins washed away with green backs.

You'd think Morlino might have something of a more local nature to talk about to his diocese since there has been more than thirty claims of sexual abuse by priests in the Madison diocese including a gang rape of a seminarian.

Morono (no typo) should stick to cleaning up his own messes rather than sweeping them under the rug like most dioceses and keep his mouth shut about what happens in a diocese halfway across the county from him.

Meddlesome jerk!

"A Catholic who publicly advocates the acceptance of a grave moral evil must also publicly repent of it". Ted Kennedy never publicly repented the assistance he provided in killing unborn children. As for his second marriage, he was married by Bishop Tutu, a non-Catholic priest. I, of course, do not know if a Catholic priest, bishop, etc. may have blessed his marriage within The Church, making it valid, or appear valid. There are so many "American" Catholics, including Priests, Bishops, etc. I am an American, but I am a Roman Catholic....and proud of it! I pray for our Clergy and Religous every day. There are many who have steered The Church and their parishes in the wrong direction. But The Church will survive, regardless of how much these liberal "Catholics" stomp their feet and throw their temper tamtrums. There is a word for Catholics who stray from The Catholic Church. It's called Protestant. As our dear Holy Father has stated he would rather have a few devout Catholics than a billion unfaithful Catholics. It's not about the numbers, folks. Being a faithful Catholic is not easy, but it sure is wonderful to be one. I thank Our Lord for the beautiful and comforting gift He gave us. May all the Roman Catholics return to their faith and thank God for HIs mercy.

I had no say as to whether or not I wanted to be a Catholic. My parents made that decision for me when I was an infant. My parents also made the decision that I would obtain a Catholic School education. When I became an adult, I questioned the Catholic religion & it's doctrines & became what is refered to as a Cafeteria Catholic. I struggled with this constantly & felt worthless in the eyes of God. Then the story of the Pedophile Priests & the hypocrisy within the Church hierarchy unraveled. I no longer question my worthiness. RIP Sen. Kennedy & thank you for all the good you did for the people who needed a voice to speak for them.

To paraphrase an earlier commenter; "How many pin-heads can dance on the head of a pin?"

Kennedy acknowledged his flaws & sought guidance for his atonement - recognizing that his position of privilege afforded unique opportunities for service to others. Meanwhile, I'm simply astounded by the number of true-believers, who - without sin or guilt of their own- are so eager & qualified to cast stones on this man's memory & his accomplishments! Your own arrogance hypocrisy is deafening & appalling! Each of us, while we remain prisoners of these mortal coils, are denied any privileged insight into God's Master Plan. Meanwhile, the thing we cling to (argue over & kill for) called "Morality" is only our shallow & imperfect interpretations of that Master Plan - which throughout the history of Mankind, has been frequently repudiated & revised. Now, since God knows our hearts, he is spared the ordeal of actually reading these comments. Nevertheless, he cannot help but be impacted by the immaturity & lack of charity exhibited by their authors; I suspect that his sorrow over that is ALSO beyond human capacity to imagine...

get Bernard Law back in this state and prosecute that sorry excuse for a human. The Catholic Church is an evil entity who thrives on making people think they are inherently bad. I believe in Christ, but despise the Catholic Church and its brainwashing ways.

There's a big difference between extending the mercy of the Church to a repentant sinner, and having a public funeral for a person who refused to publicly repent for his very public opposition to any restrictions on the murder of innocent children in the womb, presided over by the Archbishop of the diocese. Ted Kennedy was entitled to the sacraments of the Church by virtue of his baptism. If he made a sacramental confession prior to his death he was certainly entitled to a Catholic funeral mass. But a public funeral mass in a Basilica presided over by the Archbishop of the diocese? Kennedy has more blood on his hands than any Mafioso who was ever refused a Catholic funeral by the church. A private funeral mass? Fine. A public mass presided over by the Archbishop? Scandalous. Our discouragement is that our Bishops have such weak knees and soft spines. This is another example of a bishop who compromises the Gospel for the sake of public aclaim and pusilanimous pandering to power and money. Archbishop O'Malley AND Bishop Morlino are sacrificing the sheep to appease the wolves. Bring back Basil and Chrysostom. We need some saints as bishops, not traitors.

KJR
10 is obnoxious and beneath you.
Charles,
The "hoopla" is about a man who served the people for 47 years and was a tremendous advocate of the people, did more for social justice than just about anyone in the last 50 years and was beloved by a large number of people, someone who touched the lives of thousands of people. Think about it... if the papers got it right, something in excess of 40,000 people attended the wake. THAT is the reason for the hoopla.
patches
the RCC has been for sale to the highest bidder for centuries. That is part of what was behind the Reformation. Welcome to reality.
Joannski, I am with you on that one. The RCC is a disgrace and has no business assigning blame or judging the morals of anyone.

Paul,
1. Who are you to judge?
2. The reason for the arranged public funeral had to do with the fact that Kennedy was a public figure who profoundly touched the lives of thousands of people over a 47 year career of public service. If such were not arranged, the people would have shown up anyway. Note that over 40,000 people showed up for the wake... or that was how many got in, let alone those who were turned away at 2 in the morning. It is better to arrange the large, public mass for a public figure who did more to advocate for social justice than anyone in the last 50 years.
You see him just as someone with blood on his hands because he advocated for what the people desired, his constituency, he did his job according to his oath to protect and defend the US Constitution. AS a Senator that is his priority before advocating publicly his faith.
You are applying the standards of the RCC to cover the needs of all of society, when Catholics are a minority. Then again, if we applied the standards of the RCC to all of society, child rapists would be free to walk the streets.

To Jude Gentile #6, Paul #29 , Charles # 8, RPK #14 & Patches 02 #20 -
Amen!

LOTS of great observations on this post, and I've just scanned it.. thanks for the subject!

The sentence I’ll comment on is the one that first caught the blogger’s attention and that he put first. And the operative phrase is “…an apparent rejection of mercy …”
At least the bishop said “apparent”, but the question is: What is mercy? Yes, it is merciful to pray for the dead or to have a Mass said for them or to accord them special prayers and a special Mass, namely a funeral Mass. No Mass or Masses or prayers can reverse condemnation. That’s just a fact! I’m not saying that Senator Kennedy is condemned. It is safe to say that many prayers and Masses have been offered for those already in Hell. And that’s ok to pray for everyone, because we don’t know who has gone to Hell. We know some who are in Heaven, namely the canonized Saints, but we don’t know for sure one person in Hell. All that, is the concern of Administration or God himself. We on earth are not in administration, we are in Sales.
Back to mercy. The kind of mercy that would have been important to Senator Kennedy or to any of us for that matter would have been the mercy that is perpetual. In other words the forgiveness of our sins is the mercy that is eternal as it allows us to be in the presence of God in heaven forever if we die in that state of grace. That kind of mercy can’t be forced on anyone. The church always extends an offer of forgiveness through two sacraments, baptism and confession. We have to accept the offer and either be baptized or sincerely and humbly confess our sins accompanied by the attempt to not commit that sin again and to do our penance.
Mercy (forgiveness) is offered, we accept the offer, and then do what is required to obtain it. This isn’t just something I’m saying. That is the way God, through the Church, set it up. To deny that process is to defy God himself.
Kennedy’s sin was public. He didn’t vary on the subject. He was always in favor of abortion being legal. If he retracted his heinous position before he died and sincerely confessed his sins, then someone knows that and because his sin was public, the knowledge of his repentance and confession must be made public also. There is no room for privacy in this matter.
To point any or all of this out is not to condemn Senator Kennedy. Senator Kennedy is not being condemned, it is the bishop who is being observed and questioned. And No!, we don’t have to give him the benefit of the doubt namely, for reasons I’ve mentioned in this comment. The people of the diocese of Boston were in the habit of giving Cardinal Archbishop Law the benefit of the doubt and look at the malfeasance, crimes and dire consequences that that lead to after years.
This is a serious and very public issue on a number of counts. Because of the gravity of all of this, it arouses attention, elicits comment and in some people, induces indignation.
It is not un-Christian to make these observations or to have these concerns. For the sake of the souls of all the people involved because of the publicity, the entire matter needs careful attention. It needs the bishop to make intelligent observations and to see the entire picture completely and realistically and to do and say the right things.
I don’t think that happened. I don’t think we got that. What did we get? What do Bishop Robert C. Morlino’s comments amount to? A lousy and feeble attempt at damage control, where his criticism is directed at us and based on a presumption of a small-minded, uncharitable, mean spirited attitude on our part. That is damage control at it’s worst.

Let US Praise God, Whose Mercy is Boundless, Who is Just - BUT allows His Mercy to Triumph over His Justice. May his soul rest in peace-Amen.

I’m still going to pick away at that same sentence “The death of Senator Kennedy has called forth at least an apparent rejection of mercy on the part of not a few Catholics.”
The death of Senator Kennedy has called forth but one thing, namely his souls particular and personal judgment before the throne of God, by God Himself, as the Irish like to say.
None of us are in a position to extend or withhold any form of mercy to a dead Senator or anyone who is dead. It’s all in God’s hands then. On that basis, it is easy to see that our words and actions have nothing to do with mercy toward Senator Kennedy. Our words and actions are merely questioning the decisions and methodology of the bishop. And we know that bishops don’t like that. They really don’t like that. They tend to think that they’re someone special, that is in the princely sense. In the early Church, they were someone special, but being special meant that they were probably going to be the first to die.
A last word on “mercy”. The only kind of mercy that we, the living, can offer anyone else who is alive is a temporal mercy. A mercy pertinent to their lives and lifetimes, such as canceling a debt or forgiving a fault of some sort or commuting a sentence of imprisonment or death or some other such worldly doings. It happens in their life and lasts for their life. It is not eternal.

Something that quite a few people commenting on this subject since it was first posted, possibly even a few bishops, don’t seem to understand is that by denying a funeral Mass and traditional burial rites doesn’t mean that you are forbidding a gathering or prayers, eulogies and songs, etc. You could say the rosary and probably have all of it in the church. You could still satisfy the need for gathering and honoring someone and praying for them. You just do all that, without a Mass. What’s the problem?
The Mass truly is something special and like nothing else. It is the recreation of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. As often as it has been celebrated and will be celebrated, there is nothing common place about it. It is not in the least trivial or trite in any way even though many priests and lay associates do all in their power to ruin it with their banal and vulgar efforts. It is the epitome of something completely unique. Christ suffered and died on the Cross on the hill, once! It will never happen again.
To have a funeral Mass for Senator Kennedy, if he was not reconciled with the Church is a serious matter.
I really hate saying all this, because when it’s all said and done, I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes. It was a tough decision and there will be tough consequences for it. I wouldn’t be up to it.

Bishop Morlino is one of the most conservative and controversial Bishops in North America. I am a Catholic in his diocese, and I often struggle to understand his positions on social issues. I am far from alone.

So I am extremely impressed with Bishop Morlino's thoughtful and merciful treatment of Kennedy's death. I suggest that other conservative Catholics take this column to heart. It is writings like this that can help bridge the massive schism in the Catholic church today.

1. "The death of Senator Kennedy has called forth at least an apparent rejection of mercy on the part of not a few Catholics. I’m afraid...that for not a few Catholics, the funeral rites for Senator Kennedy were a source of scandal — that is, quite literally, led them into sin."
(Bishop Robert C. Morlino, the Catholic bishop of Madison, Wisconsin)

2. "Only the person who becomes irate without reason, sins. Whoever becomes irate for a just reason is not guilty. Because, if ire were lacking, the science of God would not progress, judgments would not be sound, and crimes would not be repressed...Further, the person who does not become irate when he has cause to be, sins. For an unreasonable patience is the hotbed of many vices: it fosters negligence, and stimulates not only the wicked, but above all the good, to do wrong."
(St. John Chrysostomos, Homily XI super Matheum, 1c, nt.7)

3. Is Bishop Morlino holier than St. John Chrysostomos?

Great post, thank you. A good reminder that God's mercy is available to all. As for the nay sayers, 1-Are you sinless? Do you think that your sins are "less" than Sen. Kennedy's sins? Are you in a position to make that judgment or is it God that will judge you too? 2-For those that so blatantly despise the RC Church, maybe a look around your own backyard is in order...if you think scandal does not happen in other religious or secular circles think again. Fortunately, the RC Church has had their scandals called into the public limelight...now it gets to try to turn things for the better under the ever watchful eye of the public. That perhaps is God's mercy in action too.

Since there certainly was such a potential for scandal, perhaps the Mass should not have been televised. This would have allowed the purpose of the funeral to have been served without creating confusion and scandal among the faithful and the wider community. It would have been a powerful statement from the Church about both the power God's forgiveness and the gravity of supporting abortion rights.

In fact, if O'Malley had followed his own directives for funerals the funeral itself would not have become such a love fest and media circus. All but one of the eulogies would have been eliminated, and Obama, another outspoken abortion rights supporter, probably would not have been allowed to speak at the Mass. Having the head of Boston College celebrate the Mass also added a level of prestige that could have been avoided. With that being said, at least there was not a long procession of concelebrants to mark the occasion. That would have been an embarrassment.

A decision to keep the funeral low key by following his own directives and being attentive to the potential of scandal would have required a great deal of courage, which is a virtue profoundly lacking in O'Malley.

Everything is hidden under the rug......and even when it is exposed ... bishops fail to call it what it is......Mercy is in the hands of God...rules should apply to all..........I think of all those who spend their time defending the murder of innocent children in the womb.......Kennedy got a pat on the back.....you wonder why confusion lies in the sheep....the Shepherds dont know where they are going.......

"In obedience to the Divine Mercy, speaking well of the dead may sometimes require not speaking good of the dead." (Fr. Rutler at InsideCatholic.com)

No wonder the Pope didn't send out any messages at all regarding Kennedy's death.

Bishop Morlino may have a lot more to learn about mercy.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!
Read this on Roeser Blog. It says it all and it applies to Bishop Morlino as well as O'Malley!

Personal Aside: Com’on Cardinal O’Malley, We Catholic Sheep Aren’t as Dumb as You Think.
Please, spare us the mellifluous parsing-parsing-parsing. You were
given a test...to stand up for the age-old teaching of the Church...
and you wimped out.
The latest prelate who flunked the test between standing up to a powerful media-centric Irish Democratic family and doing was is right, issued a statement yesterday trying to justify himself. Like a few other prelates and so-called princes of the Church, Sean Cardinal O’Malley thinks he can bluff us, aided by the pro-abortion Boston Globe with ran his statement approvingly.

Given Ted Kennedy’s long hostility to supporting the cause of life…his support of the horrendous partial birth abortion procedure…and his advocacy of gay rights and embryonic stem cell “research”-and given the precedents the Church is supposed to follow about burying publicly unrepentant heretics-O’Malley, like some other archbishops who seek to justify their pragmatism, issued a statement on his blog full of parsing-parsing-parsing which has become the strategy of choice for evasive clerical apologists when their spines turn to spaghetti when confronted by political power, liberal media and big dough-in the case of the powerful Kennedys all three.

If you need to catch up, read my article yesterday. Warning against “harsh judgments” and attributing “the worst motives” to people with whom Catholics have disagreements, O’Malley said “these attitudes and practices do irreparable damage to the communion of the Church.” By which he means applying to the Kennedys the standard that the church has long prescribed. “If any cause is motivated by judgment, anger or vindictiveness,” he added, “it will be doomed to marginalization and failure.”

Really now, O’Malley? Do you think that your weaseling to the pro-abort Kennedys and Obama won’t embolden other Catholic pols to thumb their noses at the moral law? Of course it will: and O’Malley knows better. He’s just another flabby ordained pol who wants to make his tenure easier in heavily Democratic Boston by smiling on the Kennedys…that and not alienating a flock of contributors and media who are in denial about the real nature of this family which has used its influence to override key aspects of Church theology and the moral and natural law.

“Our ability to change people’s hearts and help them to grasp the dignity of each and every life from the first moment of conception to the last moment of natural death , is directly related to our ability to increase love and unity in the church for our proclamation of the truth is hindered when we are divided and fighting with each other,” he sonorously intoned.

Save it, O’Malley and spare us your sanctimony. You had your chance to make a statement…in support of a dictum that for many centuries has ruled that the church of Christ is empowered to proscribe and prescribe in any area of human conduct that touches on the commandments of God.

You had your chance, you were given a test. And you flunked-out of timidity, lack of courage and resolve. Nothing less. So don’t prattle to us about “unity.” The Founder of this Church didn’t come to this world preaching unity.

He said [Luke 12:49-53] “I have come to bring fire on the earth and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Replete in the New Testament are examples where by preaching the truth He created division-for right purpose: to cleanse hearts…

“A division arose among the crowd because of Him.”-John 7:43.

“Some were saying…but others were saying…and there was division among them.” John 9:16.

“So once again a division arose among the Jews because of [His] words.” John 10:19.

Save it for the Boston (and Madison) media and your big contributors. You flunked the test and you know it.

Heaven is a gift, independent of how many "good deeds" you perform or don't perform. The New Testament states "I place before you both Life and Death, therefore; you choose Life". Accepting God's gift of Eternal Life is choosing Life, while you are still alive. You have the opportunity to renounce your sins and accept the "gift" up until you breathe your final breath. PERIOD. For those of you who want to massage who "qualifies" for eternal life and who does not, please do a little research on God's mercy before you start slinging stones.

Wow. What is THIS comment supposed to mean?

" tonyn331 wrote:

"... These people are willing to die for their faith; something catholics no longer wish to do.

The Jews have done it for centuries, the only difference being that they were too dumb to realize what was happening."

9/6/2009 9:59 AM EDT

I am amazed (as a non-believer) at so much hate and criticism of Kennedy, but how does slamming the Jews get into the conversation?

Wow.

Wow. Glad to see SOME kind hearts posting here. It helps offset the impression made by people who say things like this:

"In fact, while we all thought the appearance of President Barrack Obama at the University of Notre Dame was a scandal, the very idea that he offered a eulogy in a basilica, while the real presence of Christ was in the tabernacle, is perhaps the most dastardly thing I have ever seen.”

Real sweet group of haters to be found dedicated to the Catholic Church.

Amazing.

Rumor is, Jesus loves us all. Hate to shake things up! Had to mention it.

Only God can judge. Only God can determine an individual's culpability, whether or not a person freely choose to commit evil.
Let's then line up all the dictators and usurpers in history, all those who have tortured and murdered up to hundreds of thousands of their countrymen, and have a public Mass, with cardinals officiating, not only to pray for God's mercy on their souls, the just and commendable act, but to honor the dictators for the otherwise comparatively good things they did in their lives for those of their countrymen they felt should have good things done for them. Let us have publicly esteemed persons who legalize and facilitate specifically targeted homicide eulogize these dictators, our fellow sinners. Let us also likewise honor all our fellow sinners, the deceased fight-dog breeders, live baby chicken grinders, baby whale killers, elephant tusk hunters, cat torturers, and all their ilk. They too have done good in their lives and deserve public honor for their ameliorating good deeds.

Why should we hold in memory any of the harm they did to fellow creatures. Let us forgive them all and think well of each and every one of them. If the torture and killing they facilitated continue after their deaths, well, let's still honor them anyway. Why continue to fuss?

If Ted Kennedy had publicly renounced his public decades-long facilitation of the murdering (use the word homicide if murder seems too stark) of tens of millions of human beings in their mothers' wombs, his renounciation would inevitably cause many to re-think their passive acceptance or active advocacy of abortion and abortiofacient contraceptives. If Ted Kennedy had publicly renounced his public stand, we could add honor to the prayers we do indeed now offer in mercy for him.

But maybe we easily honor Ted Kennedy because we cannot see the human beings Ted Kennedy pronounced could be justly tortured and killed.

I am utterly amazed at the number of people who comment as if they have a halo hovering over them and wings on their back. Isn't it a little arrogant to think you know more about the application of canon law than your priest or bishop?

Having your own opinion is fine and very human, but being so cocksure that your opinion is the right one seems to me to be a major sin in and of itself.

As a cradle Catholic, I was taught at Catholic school (for 12 years) that a sincere Act of Contrition before death insured that one would go directly to Heaven. Who among us is qualified to judge whether another person has made such an Act of Contrition?

Catholic priests and bishops have sexually abused altar boys in the sacristy and sanctuary for decades, if not centuries. I consider pedophilia by Catholic clergy far far far worse than any other "sin," and I believe in the emphasis on personal conscience that I was taught when I was growing up as a Catholic. As a female, of course, I was considered 'good enough' to clean the church with the nuns but not 'good enough' to become a Mass server.

Catholic hyporcisy knows no bounds, especially the hypocrisy evidenced in responses to Bishop Morlino's statement.

When Newt Gingrich (recent convert to Catholicism, now on his 3rd marriage) dies, will the same folks be so determined to claim Newt is in hell and should not have a Catholic funeral? I'll bet not.

Why did Obama hand deliver to the Pope Kennedy's letter...........isn't that just a tad political........both in the Church and Government?

The comments here certainly confirm for me the rightness of my decision to leave the Catholic Church and the Christian faith. As far as I can tell, proclaiming yourself a Christian means that you have the right to cast bilious judgment on everyone else all the time. By boiling down 2000+ years of Catholic theology to the single dictum of opposing abortion, the Catholic hierarchy has given free rein to Catholics to engage in every other possible sin and still call themselves Catholics. They can covet their neighbors' goods and spouses, lie, cheat, steal and bear false witness (note the falsity of some of the charges laid against Kennedy here by the virtuous, not to mention that good Catholic and perennial bearer of false witness, Mr. Gingrich) all they want, as long as they condemn abortion. Catholic morality, like mercy in America, is non-existent.

I was taught not to be more Catholic than the Pope, but I guess that saying wasn't used in the diocese of Boston.

LILLIAN WHO IS JUDGING. SEEMS LIKE YOUR A PRO. LOOK AT YOURSELF AND THEN TRY TO HELP OTHERS. WILL PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WORK AND LIVE AROUND YOU.

We Catholics usually look for guidance from our Prelates (Pope/Cardinals/Bishops and Priests). But it is our Catholic duty to stand by the truth of their teachings to correct them when they go astray..... as we the congregation only excersize what they have preached.
I have yet to read anyone deny private Catholic burial for the repose of Ted Kennedy's soul. But we pull you up for grandizing his death in a public affair with attendance from his emminance Bishop O'Mally.
As shepards of the Church you have condoned acceptence of Abortion and Gay Marriage and allowed our Church to be a mockery by attendees the like of Obama/Peloci/Biden and others who are proponents to pro-abortion. Your actions has sent the Catholic world into disarray. You have given both Catholics Peloci and Biden the stamp of approval....who have publicly stated that even the church is still confused on 'when life begins'. Obama has used this platform to politize his agenda of breaking the Catholics' Back using the artery of our Church. You will be accountable before God for leading your sheep astray and for justifying your actions...rest assured.
PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH is all we Catholics say.

Jesus certainly loves us, but never the less, he allows us to navigate our own way to hell if that is our choice.

We know that God's mercy is infinite,
I also know that Christ blood doesn't cover unrepentant sinners,
Bishop Morlino is right in saying that charity shouldn't be missing in our treatment of anyone.
But why can't the Cardinal condemns the
Senator’s erring in the past before talking about God Forgiveness?
Why do Bishops always have to be "Politically correct"?
I can welcome a two-conscience' approach for some political leaders but not with Catholic political leaders.
If Senator Kennedy took his Catholicism
Seriously then the fault fell with the Church! But who would admit that?
Isn't the Bishops supposed to be the guardian of the faithful?

This “catechesis” false though it is--that infected the church,
Why Bishops are so scared to face this head on? Will they be sent to "Timbuktu?" For speaking?

Great post, DDPGH... What Bishop Morlino and Cardinal O'Malley fail to realize is that is has NOTHING to do with forgiveness. Only God can forgive Kennedy as a human being and one of His children. But Kennedy as a PUBLIC person opposed every single one of the non-negotiable teachings of the Church. He had a 100% approval by Planned Parenthood and NARAL--does that deserve a semi-canonization at death?
If the Bishops really looked deep into their hearts they would have to come to admit that if his name had not been Kennedy we would not have this discussion.
By celebrating the life of Sen. Kennedy, instead of having a private funeral to beseech God's mercy on him, the Church is saying that respect for life and marriage as God intended it, are really not that important--if you have the right connections.

I was raised in the catholic church, as was my husband. He married young - because it was the 'right thing to do' and divorced. I am an adultress in the eyes of the church. Ted Kennedy seems to be beyond that sort of sanction - hmmmmm.

Never seen such an extreme single issue religion like Catholicism and abortion. It might have some meat except for the historical record of dealings with those children they have saved.

And no, those who aren't Catholics don't consider you types to have morals any better than those shown by papal council Bernard Law - a fella who should be in prison.

Hell, as commonly defined by the church, can be readily recognized by anyone who has lived fully in this world as a condition extant, indeed germane to this world. One suffers one's private hells throughout life. Teddy Kennedy was no exception here. To deny him atonement is to make a shame of basic Christian beliefs. Heaven, if it exists, would seem to be inundated with hypocrites, TV preachers, richeous indignants, dullards of all sorts. Teddy may have hedged his bets here. Sinners are a lot more intellient, and they have a lot more fun. They also tend to genuinely care for others, because they recognize the fragility of all of humanity. Compassion is what makes us most human.

WHY DOESNT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH CLERGY KEEP THEIR MOUTHS SHUT WHO CARES WHAT KENNEDY OR MY OPINION OR THE CHURCHES OPINION ON ABORTION IS.DONT THEY HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS WITH THERE PRIESTS DOODLING LITTLE BOYS ENOUGH OF THIS NONSENSE

I spent a lot of time writing in response to Cardinal O'Malley's Blog, but they did not post it. The text follows:
Cardinal O'Mally,

This past weekend was sad, for the Kennedy family, the Church and the pro life movement. I am in serious disagreement with your handling of the situation.
Can. 751. Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him.
Can. 1184. 1. Unless they have given some signs of repentance before their death, the following are to be deprived of ecclesiastical funeral rites:
1* notorious apostates, heretics and schismatics;
3* other manifest sinners for whom ecclesiastical funeral rites cannot be granted without public scandal to the faithful.
2.If some doubt should arise, the local ordinary is to be consulted; and his judgments to be followed.
Can. 1185 Any funeral Mass whatsoever is also to be denied a person excluded from ecclesiastical funeral rites.
I'm sure Sen. Kennedy showed repentance for some of his shortcomings. But he never recanted his view on abortion rights and his voting record. Nor has any priest or Bishop or family member made a statement confirming his submission to the Pope on issues of faith and morals as all catholics must. On the contrary he voiced his wish for the passage of the health care bill which provides for funding of abortions.
After the funeral I wrote the following over the weekend in response to some blogs.

Cardinal O'Mally
Siding With The Enemy
A False Compassion

I do not stand in judgment of senator Kennedy, that is for God. I have said prayers for Senator Kennedy, but there are other issues here.
The Code of Cannon Law states: Can. 1398 A person who procures a successful abortion incurs an automatic (latae senteniae) excommunication.
What about those who make this possible? Our Senators and Representatives who vote in favor of laws making it possible for the abortion to take place, in effect holding opening the doors to the clinic for the person having the abortion.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: 2271: "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law:"
"You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish." There are footnotes to this quote referring to the Didache, Barnabe, Ad Diognetum and Tertulian.
Senator Kennedy throughout the years has consistently ignored these teachings and has been a co-conspirator in the deaths of 50,000,000 Americans. In the United States alone, 1,300,000 human beings are killed every year, that,s 3561/day, a 911 every day thanks to our “catholic” leaders Kennedy, Kerry, Pellosi, Reed and the rest of congress that votes for these bills.. How many cures for cancer and other diseases were thrown into the trash because of these abortions. This is Senator Kennedy's legacy! He was in fact, a heretic. God gave Senator Kennedy a special grace, Senator Kennedy knew he was going to die, he had plenty of time to recant his position on abortion to the American people, yet he did not. Even if he confessed to a priest, any good priest would have told him to do this.
To those who say that Senator Kennedy was a faithful catholic, please, don't insult our intelligence.
In the War the Church faces on abortion, Sen Kennedy was a traitor to the Church.
If you put his good works on one side of a scale and the consequences of his voting record on abortion on the other side, his good works would amount to a grain of salt to a ton of concrete.
Oh, if you belong to “Future Church”, “Call To Action”, “Catholics for a Free Choice”, Yea, He was faithful.
I'm sure they are applauding Cardinal O'Mally today. Maybe they will invite him to be one of their guest speakers.
The time has come for catholics who are truly under the guidance of Pope Benedict to speak up! He is the only one a true catholic can rely on today without question. Not that there are not good priests and bishops, but we must always be on guard. You must know your faith. Learn it.! The Catechism, the code of canon law, Vatican Council II.
Don't just go by whether a person is a theologian or has a Doctorate, many of them are idiots! Question! Question! Question! The truth is, the Pope speaks for Christ on issues of faith and morals and is infallible in them. Anyone who is apposed to these teachings is in fact against Christ, hence, a type of anti-Christ.
People wonder what the anti-Christ will be like. He will be just like an Obama, a type of anti-Christ, a spokesman for Satan loved by the masses, one who promises the world, the only problem, is that he asks to devour the children in their mothers wombs, through abortion. He also asks for your souls and many give it without even realizing it.
Cardinal O'Mally could have made a great statement in support of Life by denying the Senator a Catholic Mass.
Cardinal O'Mally has set the pro life movement back a thousand years.
He has made himself a man of mere words. I am sure he will ask the catholics to send post cards to Kerry and whoever takes Kennedy's place. I can't wait! I'm sure the 3561 children who will be aborted tomorrow can't wait either.
We are at war Cardinal, Wake Up!
He has also betrayed the church by allowing a type of anti-Christ into the sanctuary during the Holy Mass.
In the General instruction for the Roman Missal #382There should be as a rule a short homily, but never a eulogy of any kind.
As Pope Paul Paul VI said, the smoke of satin has entered into the church.
The Church needs a John the Baptist today who is willing to give up his head in support of the truth.
I will end with a prayer card distributed in my church.
"In Our Dear Savior's dialogue with St. Catherine of Siena, He tells us that nearly all of the evils that are done by souls subject to the priests are the fault of bad pastors because had they corrected them....these evils would not have been done. God demands of us, says St. Catherine, that, instead of cursing such faithless priests and prelates,we earnestly pray for them,begging God's mercy and forgiveness, lest they be damned forever in hell. If all of us did this, God promises, "I will have mercy on my Spouse (the Church), reforming her with good and holy pastors then the good pastors will reform her, correcting by force,those under them"