Dear Johnny:

We need to be very careful in make judgments. Rash Judgment is a grave sin. Any Catholic who has died in a state of grace has the right to a funeral Mass. While Teddy Kennedy defied Catholic teaching during his life, he may have repented and reconciled with the Church on his death bed -- we do not know if he did, and we cannot know the man's heart.

Cardinal O'Malley of Boston had this to say (excerpts from his blog):

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Needless to say, the Senator’s wake and Catholic funeral were controversial because of the fact that he did not publically support Catholic teaching and advocacy on behalf of the unborn. ­­­Given the profound effect of Catholic social teaching on so many of the programs and policies espoused by Senator Kennedy and the millions who benefitted from them, there is a tragic sense of lost opportunity in his lack of support for the unborn.  To me and many Catholics it was a great disappointment because, had he placed the issue of life at the centerpiece of the Social Gospel where it belongs, he could have multiplied the immensely valuable work he accomplished.

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There are those who objected, in some cases vociferously, to the Church’s providing a Catholic funeral for the Senator.   In the strongest terms I disagree with that position.   At the Senator’s interment on Saturday evening, with his family’s permission, we learned of details of his recent personal correspondence with Pope Benedict XVI.   It was very moving to hear the Senator acknowledging his failing to always be a faithful Catholic, and his request for prayers as he faced the end of his life.  The Holy Father’s expression of gratitude for the Senator’s pledge of prayer for the Church, his commendation of the Senator and his family to the intercession of the Blessed Mother, and his imparting the Apostolic Blessing, spoke of His Holiness’ role as the Vicar of Christ, the Good Shepherd who leaves none of the flock behind.

As Archbishop of Boston, I considered it appropriate to represent the Church at this liturgy out of respect for the Senator, his family, those who attended the Mass and all those who were praying for the Senator and his family at this difficult time.  We are people of faith and we believe in a loving and forgiving God from whom we seek mercy.

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At times, even in the Church, zeal can lead people to issue harsh judgments and impute the worst motives to one another.  These attitudes and practices do irreparable damage to the communion of the Church.  If any cause is motivated by judgment, anger or vindictiveness, it will be doomed to marginalization and failure.  Jesus’ words to us were that we must love one another as He loves us.  Jesus loves us while we are still in sin.  He loves each of us first, and He loves us to the end.  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.

No matter what Teddy Kennedy did in life, we cannot judge him in his death. Only God knows his heart. As for the Funeral Mass, if Teddy was absolved of his sin in the Sacrament of "Last Rites", which I am sure he was, then he has as much right to a Catholic Funeral Mass as anyone else. It is improper for us to suggest that he did not deserve this honor. In fact to say that he did not deserve this honor is the grave sin of rash judgment because we are jumping to conclusions about his state of soul at his death.

For an opposing view I recommend the article by Father Tom Euteneuer, President of Human Life International. Fr. Euteneuer actually said, "[A] Catholic funeral for Kennedy is unjust to those who have actually paid the price of fidelity." As much as I respect Fr. Euteneuer I think is absolutely wrong that the Funeral Mass for Kennedy is a scandal and especially for the profoundly uncharitable and unscriptural sentiment that a funeral Mass for Kennedy is "unjust to those who have actually paid the price of fidelity."

This is not what is taught in the Gospel. Jesus tells us of the parable of the laborers in the vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16:

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.

And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.'

And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.

Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?" So the last will be first, and the first last."

Dare I say it? It seems to me that Father Euteneuer has taken a position of the grumblers in this parable.

There are some people who will live 80 years as a reprobate and even as an enemy of God and His Church, who will be in heaven because they repented on their death beds. And, if they repent on their death, they have have a right to a Catholic Mass.

I even know of a man who was a Satanist and put his young daughters through the horrors of Satanic ritual abuse and sexual abuse. His daughters forgave him and they were privileged to see their father repent and be reconciled with the Church on his death bed. I personally knew the daughters.

The only unforgivable sin is the sin of refusing God's offer and grace of forgiveness.

While Father Euteneuer's statement is true, "There was very little about Ted Kennedy’s life that deserves admiration from a spiritual or moral point of view. He was probably the worst example of a Catholic statesman that one can think of. When all is said and done, he has distorted the concept of what it means to be a Catholic in public life more than anyone else in leadership today," this fact does not mean that Teddy did not repent, receive the Sacraments and was reconciled with God and the Church on his death bed. We do not know, but our obligation is to give the benefit of the doubt and trust the pastors on this.

As we all know as Catholics, our eternal destiny is determined by our state of soul at our death and not by our life's works.

Now, Canon Law does provide to deny a funeral Mass to "other manifest sinners to whom a Church funeral could not be granted without public scandal to the faithful."

Canon 1184 reads:

§1. Church funeral rites are to be denied to the following, unless they gave some signs of repentance before death:

1° notorious apostates, heretics and schismatics;

2° those who for anti-christian motives chose that their bodies be cremated;

3° other manifest sinners to whom a Church funeral could not be granted without public scandal to the faithful.

Although we do not know, and it is a rash judgment to say otherwise, Teddy Kennedy most probably did repent and was reconciled with the Church before his death.

Now, before we jump on section 1.3 to declare that Kennedy is disqualified due to that section, we need to read section 2:

§2. If any doubt occurs, the local Ordinary is to be consulted and his judgement followed. (my emphasis)

The local Ordinary judged that Teddy Kennedy was qualified for a Catholic Funeral Mass. We must respect that.

Truly, where is the real scandal? That a man who was a lousy excuse of a Catholic received a Funeral Mass, or is it in Catholics expressing bitterness and grumbling because Kennedy got in by the skin of his teeth at the last moment?

I think the real scandal is in the lack of forgiveness of those Catholics who are bitter about this. As the old saying goes, "What Would Jesus Do?"

It Teddy asked for forgiveness would our Lord deny him forgiveness? Being reconciled to the Church would Jesus deny Kennedy a public Funeral Mass?

I think this event is a test of our love and forgiveness. Do we really mean it when we say we love and forgive, even notorious sinners and enemies, as Jesus taught us?

The evaluation of Teddy Kennedy's life in politics, personally, and as a Catholic will be a subject that can be discussed and written about for centuries to come. But, to say he did not deserve a funeral Mass, in my opinion, is not thinking with the mind of Christ.

Now, with all that said, it is another topic altogether in terms what happened at this Funeral Mass.  The Mass is not to be made a showcase for anyone. According to the rules of the Boston Archdiocese, "Following the prayer after Communion and before the Final Commendation, only one speaker, a member or a friend of the family, may speak for not more than five minutes in remembrance of the deceased."

There is room for criticism of the Cardinal and pastors to allow the norms of a Funeral Mass to be violated, even by the diocese own rules.

Here is the full text from the website of the Boston Archdiocese:

Presiding at the Funeral Liturgy

1. Only a bishop, priest or deacon is allowed to preach the homily at the funeral liturgy.

2. A eulogy is not appropriate where a homily is prescribed (OCF #27), although examples from the person's life may be used in the homily. The literary genre of eulogy is not a homiletic form. Rather, the homily is to "illumine the mystery of Christian death in the light of the Risen Christ." (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1687) as proclaimed in the readings.

3. Excellence in preaching is of critical importance to the evangelizing task of the Church, especially at a moment when the faithful who live apart from the regular life of the Church may yearn for a message of faith and Christian hope.

4. In the Archdiocese of Boston, one speaker chosen by the family may offer not more than a five-minute remembrance of the deceased at the Funeral Liturgy before the final commendation. The remarks are to be simple, brief, and prepared. Care must be taken to follow this. Some priests have found it helpful to see the text beforehand. Within the context of a liturgy, the tone should remain one of faith and hope.

5. Other occasions might offer opportunities for individuals to share remembrances of the deceased.

There are "other occasions" for speeches and eulogies, such as at the Wake.

I hope this helps to see things in perspective.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary