Posted on 08/30/2009 3:08:04 AM PDT by nickcarraway
For those of us on the O’Malley beat, there were lots of interesting moments yesterday, but none more so than the lengthy greeting that Cardinal Sean O’Malley had with PresidentObama. O’Malley, of course, is the Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston and has been sharply critical of Obama’s support for abortion rights (“This man has a deplorable record when it comes to prolife issues,’’ O’Malley told me after the election).
I asked O’Malley’s spokesman, Terry Donilon, what the two men talked about, and he e-mailed back, “If he chooses to speak about it, he will in the blog, but it was a pleasant and gracious chat.’’ He said that the conversation lasted two to three minutes and that the cardinal welcomed the president to Boston and the basilica. He would not say whether there was a more substantive exchange.
O’Malley technically presided over the Mass, but he was not the principal celebrant or the homilist, and he was visible mostly at the end, as he said the final prayers of commendation over the late senator’s body. O’Malley’s tone, even on the happiest of occasions, is somber, and he added a funereal touch to the funeral’s close as he honored the body with incense, a sign of respect for the body and a sign of God’s blessing.
O’Malley’s participation in the Mass has been controversial in some particularly conservative corners of the antiabortion movement, but drew strong praise from the Rev. James Martin, associate editor of America magazine, who blogged: “Cardinal O’Malley’s decision to attend the funeral is large-hearted,compassionate, pastoral, sensitive and, above all, Christian. . . . CardinalO’Malley has been clear about his strong opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage, his simple presence at the funeral shows his support of forgiveness, compassion and that quality perhaps most missing in today’s church:mercy.’’
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
This is NOT a defense of Teddy. Just one respone as to why he received a Catholic burial....and all those blessings.
According to church teachings, the blessings were for his immortal soul........not approval of the man and his deeds.
The church does not judge the man.......the church teaches that the judgement of the man is left to God.
A Catholic ceremony for the deceased is the church interceding for the soul of the deceased......it’s one of the benefits of being a Catholic that the church will intercede for the soul since the deceased person cannot.
The church teaches that a soul consigned to hell forever is the worst fate to befall a person. That is why they intercede........even for the worst sinners.
Agreed. Now Ted has to answer for the one life he ended (Mary Jo) and the 40 million lives he indirectly ended through his support for abortion. If God considers life to start at conception, Ted is currently in Hell.
You have already beat this drum on another thread in the recent weeks.
You should have had all the answers you were looking for on that thread.
I think economically liberal and socially conservative would be a fair shorthand.
well......ted's church considers it murder....thou shalt NOT kill.
Nobody ever tries to answer that question, do you remember what the answers were that you claim have been posted?
They may support eliminating border controls and letting the world come to America without limit but most other libertarian positions they would reject, unrestrained homosexuality in the military and in adoption and marriage, totally unrestrained pornography, drugs and prostitution and the unrestrained public advertising of all those services and the marketing of newly invented dope for stoners etc.
Catholics have been around for 1700 years or so and they used to run nations and currently many nations are “Catholic” , I’m not aware of any Libertarian instincts from them. Do you find Catholic countries libertarian?
But Obama is a man of great faith.....The Swimmer said so in his letter to the Pope.
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