When Should Catholics "Call a Spade a Spade"?

ic ^ | September 7, 2009 | Deal W. Hudson

[NYer]

"To call a spade a spade," a phrase whose origin can be traced back to Plutarch, is defined by Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable as to be "outspoken, blunt, even to the point of rudeness." The question of when Catholics should be outspoken, in this sense, has arisen over the heated reactions to the funeral of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.

 

A number of commentators took issue with the funeral, specifically over the participation of Sean Cardinal O'Malley of Boston and Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, retired, from Washington, D.C., who read from the letter written by Kennedy to Pope Benedict XVI.  

 

But Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison thinks some of the negative comments were sinful. As he wrote in his diocesan newspaper, "I'm afraid, however, 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 Morlino does not locate the sin in the public criticism of the funeral, however: "From the earliest days of the Church it was defined as sinful to enjoy the thought that someone might be in Hell."

 

I went back to reread the three toughest statements I knew about the Kennedy funeral -- those from Raymond Arroyo, Judie Brown, and Phil Lawler. Nowhere could I find anything close to the sin described by Bishop Morlino.

 

Phil Lawler writes, "We cannot know the state of Ted Kennedy's soul when he finally succumbed to brain cancer." From Judie Brown: "Not a single one of us knows the state of Senator Kennedy's soul at his death." And finally Arroyo: "Judgment remains the exclusive domain of God, and no one should presume to know Senator Kennedy's eternal destination."

 

Perhaps I missed something, but all of the critiques I read were concerned with the way the funeral honored Senator Kennedy as a Catholic, thus creating confusion for Catholics who have repeatedly been told that it is a mortal sin to advocate abortion. As Lawler described it, "From the first greeting to the final commendation, the ceremony was a celebration of Kennedy's life and his public career. There was never a hint that Ted Kennedy might need prayers, that his eternal salvation could be in question."

 

As Arroyo summarized,

 

What most in the media and the public fail to recognize is that this entire spectacle -- the Catholic funeral trappings and the wall-to-wall coverage -- was only partially about Ted Kennedy. It was truly about cementing the impression, indeed catechizing the faithful, that one can be a Catholic politician, and so long as you claim to care about the poor, you may licitly ignore the cause of life.

 

Brown -- who, like Arroyo, knows well the long-term impact of events like the Kennedy funeral on political dispositions of Catholics -- put it this way:

 

Now millions of Americans are totally confused about what it means to be Catholic. The words that were uttered by these prelates prove that they did, in fact, ignore the dead babies in order to give glowing words of praise to the man who sanctioned their killing.

 

My only comment was to say that watching two princes of the Church praising the pro-abortion Kennedy on national television made me think that it's sometimes very hard to take our bishops seriously on the issue of abortion. I added that I found Cardinal McCarrick's reading "a letter from Senator Kennedy praising himself to the Holy Father... well, mind-boggling." None of the above, as far as I can tell, falls under the category of sin as described by Bishop Morlino.

 

 

Anyone who knows Bishop Morlino knows he is a smart and tough leader who can call a spade a spade. He was one of the first to correct then-Senator Joe Biden after his appearance one year ago on Meet the Press, when the now-vice president pontificated on abortion matters. So why would he make the point of so strongly cautioning those who have taken offense at the spectacle of Kennedy's funeral?

 

Toward the end of his column, Bishop Morlino writes,

 

In the seminary I was taught to speak like a lion from the pulpit -- certainly there are those in the diocese who believe that perhaps I do that all too well -- but that in the confessional I should be a lamb, reflecting the face of the Lamb of God, who died so that there might be mercy. The funeral rites for Senator Kennedy challenge all of us to question ourselves as to whether we are less eager to grant mercy than God Himself is (emphasis added).

 

Who among us is not grateful for the priest who exhibits mercy in the face of our sins? None, I would imagine, including those who expressed their concern for the funeral service. In fact, there is further agreement between critics like Arroyo, Brown, and Lawler with Bishop Morlino.

 

It's Bishop Morlino's hope that "our Catholic homes and families re-emphasize their role as schools of mercy, not at the expense of justice, and not at the expense of truth." What else spurred the criticism of Kennedy's funeral than a distortion of the truth about the Catholic Faith? What I have read was certainly not motivated by any pious delight in the certainty of Senator Kennedy's damnation.

 

Anyone who uses Bishop Morlino's words to scourge those who fear for the public witness of the Church should read the bishop more closely.

[NYer]

 

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Deal W. Hudson is the director of InsideCatholic.com and the author of Onward, Christian Soldiers: The Growing Political Power of Catholics and Evangelicals in the United States (Simon and Schuster).

[NYer]

Ping!

[nufsed]

When they are gardening?

[NYer]

And for those who missed it,

The Passing of a Real Hero. Fr. Thomas Euteneuer on the passing of Bob Schindler.

[Steelfish]

http://onelacatholic.blogspot.com/

[Rodebrecht]

"Here in Rome, Ted Kennedy is nobody"

[Notwithstanding]

We can never call a spade a spade,
because spades are black
and any negative mention
of a dark color
is de facto racist.

[sr4402]

There is one man's sin and his need for salvation and then there are errors of those in leadership.

Clearly, I fault Sean Cardinal O'Malley of Boston and Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, because they suppressed a letter denying Senator Kennedy communion. This fact needs to be acknowledged and similar leaders need to know not to do the same in the future.

'When there is no vision, the people perish' - and they are, in the form of the unborn and possibly the old very soon. Good Godly Church discipline is the answer. Can there be any denying it?

[stevem]

Now millions of Americans are totally confused about what it means to be Catholic. The words that were uttered by these prelates prove that they did, in fact, ignore the dead babies in order to give glowing words of praise to the man who sanctioned their killing.

I don't think this is true. I do feel that Catholics able to add two and two would never ever look to American Catholic Bishops, in the lump, that is, for guidance on morality or what it is to be Catholic.

I think I've known this most of my life. I know I knew it when my own Archbishop pushed Hillarycare so hard a dacade and a half ago.

My only comment was to say that watching two princes of the Church praising the pro-abortion Kennedy on national television made me think that it's sometimes very hard to take our bishops seriously on the issue of abortion.

It's hard to take American Catholic Bishops seriously on almost any subject. My guess is there are some that are better than decent when taken one on one. In the lump, their ideas on decency and justice leave much to be desired. I promise Democrats don't take Catholic bishops seriously on the issue of abortion.

I added that I found Cardinal McCarrick's reading "a letter from Senator Kennedy praising himself to the Holy Father... well, mind-boggling."

I didn't see the funeral. I have way to weak stomach for that. Anything in a homily praising Kennnedy would be obscene. I think a small private ceremony would have been in order. The circus I have read about sounds nauseating.

I pray for therepose of the soul of Senator Kennedy. I pray the Supreme Judge is infinitely merciful is his sifting of the hearts of men when I get in line.

It isn't my job to judge Kennedy's soul. I will say, thank you, that Kennedy may have been many things. He was never, NEVER a good man.

[NYer]

Cardinal Mahony has praised the late Teddy Kennedy but has also lamented his having been pro-abortion

Same reaction here in the Howard Hubbard country.

[RobbyS]

But McCarrick IS trying to lead. he is trying to use his declining prestige to rally liberal Catholics.

[Natural Law]

Cardinal O’Malley has a lot to answer for, both in this life and the next.

[sr4402]

he is trying to use his declining prestige to rally liberal Catholics

Interesting term "liberal Catholics", shouldn't we just say those who have not decided to follow the Pope and the teachings of the church?? But my biggest problem is with the ignorance of Scripture, "You knew me in my mother's womb". If God has known all of us, from the time we were unborn in the womb, who are we to quibble with Him?

[RobbyS]

In my understanding, “liberal Catholics” are political progressives whose attachments to the Church are more cultural than religious. Another term for them is “modernist.”

[chatham]

All o fthe hierarchs who took part in the Kennedy funeral should beashamed of themselves, to honor by their presents is certainly a scandal for them and the Church.
Shame on the bishop for trying to transfer the scandal to the people.

[the invisib1e hand]

But Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison thinks some of the negative comments were sinful.

He's from Madison. What do you expect?

[rbmillerjr]

“Anyone who uses Bishop Morlino’s words to scourge those who fear for the public witness of the Church should read the bishop more closely.”

Yes, let us look at his words and seek the nuance. /sarc off

The Bishop meant what he said. His intentions are misplaced deflections.

Shame.

[marshmallow]

I want to know when somebody is going to cut us some slack?! We're always being told that we mustn't rush to judgment, mustn't harm the internal unity of the Church by speaking angrily, mustn't be uncharitable.......etc, etc. Words like Morlino's and O'Malley's make it appear as if faithful Catholics who are trying heroically to do the right thing are the real problem.

How about they try and see things from the perspective of the usually silent pew-dweller for a change. It's not like the Kennedy issue is an isolated incident. Leave aside four decades of liturgical and theological hanky-panky for the moment. Just look at the past 5 years.

Episcopal inaction and malfeasance in the matter of homosexuals in the priesthood comes to light. Dioceses go bankrupt. Schools close. Parishes close. Politicians brazenly flout Catholic teaching with little fear of censure or rebuke. Notre Dame grovels at the feet of Obama. The Kennedy circus is thrown in our faces.

And they're surprised that people have had enough and are speaking out, sometimes angrily?

I'd have more respect for O'Malley and Morlino if they said "well the Church has been through some wretched times.......we understand why Catholics are angry."

[Gerish]

The funeral rites for Senator Kennedy challenge all of us to question ourselves as to whether we are less eager to grant mercy than God Himself is (emphasis added).

I don't think there is a person here who does not wish Ted Kennedy God's mercy, so here the Bishop is correct. However, we have 30 years or more of Senate records clearly outlining TK's support of murder/abortion. Sometimes what us simple lay people get sick of tired of is our Bishops behaving more like men of the world than being the true shephards they are supposed to be.