[Peace-discuss] Catholics oppose public Catholic funeral for arch-heretic Kennedy.

[C. G. Estabrook]

It's worth noting that, for good or ill, this was not the official position of
the Roman church in the US, nor of the Archdiocese of Boston, where Kennedy's
funeral mass was held this morning in a basilica (a principal church) that is
situated in midst of an urban housing project.

The practice of denying religious services to the funeral of a public sinner is
of course ancient.  (It's discussed e.g. in Hamlet).  The political actions of
Ted Kennedy -- what he did and what he failed to do as a public official -- as
set out here in an article by Alex Cockburn would lead me to think that an
objection to Christian burial for him would not be out of place, but that was
not as I said the view of the officials of the church.

The organization referred to here is of course speaking for itself and its
principal member (who appears to have a student at Notre Dame when I taught
there). "Arch-heretic" seems a bit strong.  Heresy means literally one-sidedness
in theological opinion, and I doubt Ted Kennedy had many theological opinions;
surely not enough to be "arch."  --CGE


E. Wayne Johnson wrote:
> A Catholic pro-life leader has some scathing words concerning Senator Ted 
> Kennedy's Catholic funeral.
> 
> Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International 
> <http://www.hli.org/>, released this statement concerning Senator Kennedy. 
> "We must, as a matter of precept, pray for the salvation of heretical 
> Catholics like Senator Edward Kennedy, but we do not have to praise him, let 
> alone extol him with the full honors of a public Catholic funeral and all the
>  adulation that attends such an event."
> 
> He adds that while Senator Kennedy called himself Catholic, like Speaker of 
> the House Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Joe Biden, they are actually wolves
>  in sheep's clothing.
> 
> "They do not hold to the teaching of the church. They, in fact, take every 
> opportunity seemingly to contradict the teaching of our church," Euteneuer 
> says. "So in the case of Senator Edward Kennedy, he was not only against his 
> church's teaching on the issue of abortion, but the same with embryonic stem 
> cell research, the same with gay marriage and various other issues which set 
> him in diametric opposition to his church's very well-defined and clearly 
> articulated teaching."
> 
> Euteneuer says he is speaking out now to remind everyone that Catholics 
> cannot honor a person with a full and public Catholic funeral when, like 
> Senator Kennedy, he really was not.