Human Life International's Statement on the Passing of Senator Edward Kennedy

Human Life International ^ | 08-28-09 | Fr. Euteneuer

[mlizzy]

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. 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.

Obviously we don't know the state of Senator Edward Kennedy's soul upon death. We don't pretend to. We are told by the family that he had the opportunity to confess his sins before a priest, and his priest has said publicly he was "at peace" when he died. For that we are grateful. But it is one thing to confess one's sins and for these matters to be kept, rightfully, private. It is another thing entirely for one who so consistently and publicly advocated for the destruction of unborn human beings to depart the stage without a public repudiation of these views, a public confession, as it were.

It is up to God to judge Senator Kennedy's soul. We, as rational persons, must judge his actions, and his actions were not at all in line with one who values and carefully applies Church teaching on weighty matters. Ted Kennedy's positions on a variety of issues have been a grave scandal for decades, and to honor this "catholic" champion of the culture of death with a Catholic funeral is unjust to those who have actually paid the price of fidelity. We now find out that President Obama will eulogize the Senator at his funeral, an indignity which, following on the heels of the Notre Dame fiasco, leaves faithful Catholics feeling sullied, desecrated and dehumanized by men who seem to look for opportunities to slap the Church in the face and do so with impunity simply because they have positions of power.

It is not enough for Kennedy to have been a "great guy behind the scenes" as we have seen him referred to even by his political opponents. It is also not praiseworthy to put a Catholic rhetorical veneer on his leftist politics that did nothing to advance true justice as the Church sees it or to advance the peace of Christ in this world. Every indication of Senator Kennedy's career, every public appearance, every sound bite showed an acerbic, divisive and partisan political hack for whom party politics were much more infallible than Church doctrines. Whatever one's political affiliation, if one is only "Catholic" to the extent that his faith rhymes with his party line, then his Catholicism is a fraud.

As the Scriptures remind us, there is a time for everything under the sun. This, now, is the time for honesty about our Faith and about those who are called to express it in the public forum. If we do not remind ourselves of the necessity of public confession for public sins such as Senator Kennedy was guilty of, then we are negligent in our embrace of the Faith and we are part of the problem. As Pope Benedict has reminded us recently, charity without truth can easily become mere sentimentality, and we must not fall into that error. A Catholic show of charity for the family must not eclipse the truth that is required of all with eyes to see and ears to hear.

Senator Kennedy needs to be sent to the afterlife with a private, family-only funeral and the prayers of the Church for the salvation of his immortal soul. He will not be missed by the unborn who he betrayed time and time again, nor by the rest of us who are laboring to undo the scandalous example of Catholicism that he gave to three generations of Americans.

[mlizzy]

One of my very favorite priests!

[nufsed]

BTTT

[Rays_Dad]

If he wasn’t dead, that would leave a mark. Ouch

[Wife of D28Man]

Thank you for this breath of sanity.

[mlizzy]

If he wasn’t dead, that would leave a mark. Ouch

Yep, it's a beauty! Fr. Euteneuer is one of the most "on-fire" Catholics you'll ever come across. If our Catholic politicians attended Mass every day and received the other sacraments of the Church as well, they'd have the guts to speak the Truth.

[oust the louse]

“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.”

The Good Father brought his “A” game right there! Well said...

[oust the louse]

You know what else makes me want to throw up a little is the fact that the magic muslim will be standing in a Catholic church acting like he cares.

[bushinohio]

Excellent article. I'm glad someone in the church has the courage to call out the Kennedys. They should have all been excommunicated long ago.

[ELS]

Ping!

[Pyro7480]

Catholic ping!

[uncbob]

Now there is somebody who isn’t afraid to tell it like it should be

This type of person drives the left absolutely crazy

[Tax-chick]

Good article. I think I’ll send HLI a donation tomorrow! There’s an envelope in my library bag, for some reason.

[NewCenturions]

SUPERB!

[Palladin]

Father is not afraid to speak the truth.

[m4629]

Excellent.

Any chance someone could splice Fr.’s text into Barry’s teleprompter during the funeral mass? :-D

[annalex]

Spot on, Father.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

"We now find out that President Obama will eulogize the Senator at his funeral, an indignity which, following on the heels of the Notre Dame fiasco, leaves faithful Catholics feeling sullied, desecrated and dehumanized by men who seem to look for opportunities to slap the Church in the face and do so with impunity simply because they have positions of power."

As at Notre Dame, another Black Mass for the abortionists.
It seems to be a trend now.
Have they no shame?

Obama should be forbidden from being given a pulpit at Catholic institutions or on consecrated ground.

[Salvation]

We have no idea if Senator Kennedy had a deathbed re-conversion. We cannot judge.

Beginning Catholic: The Anointing of the Sick: Comfort and Healing [Ecumenical]

[Bigg Red]

Tell it. Fr. E!