Catholic leaders defend O’Malley

“We will stop the practice of abortion by changing the law, and we will be successful in changing the law if we change people’s hearts,’’ he wrote. “We will not change hearts by turning away from people in their time of need and when they are experiencing grief and loss.’’ - Cardinal Sean O'Malley in his blog.

I know that I've had a lot in this space on the Kennedy funeral and the Catholic aftermath, but this one I think is worth continuing the discussion. Some people have asked me why Ted Kennedy, given his abortion position, was given a Catholic funeral. Was this action a defacto approval of his full history? Is this saying, you can be a pro-choice Catholic and it'll all work out in the end? The answer that I have given is simple. Ted Kennedy received a funeral Mass for the same reason you or I will - because funeral Masses are not canonization Masses - funerals are for sinners commending them to God's mercy.

Cardinal O'Malley has spoken on this far more eloquently than I ever could, so please take the time to read this story, and more time to read his blog entry.

From the moment Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley said he would preside at Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s funeral, he and his aides knew the decision would be hotly debated in the polarized world of Catholic America, where questions about how church officials should interact with politicians supportive of abortion rights have become increasingly divisive and ugly.

And they were right.

The blogosphere exploded with discussion of the significance of O’Malley’s actions, several antiabortion organizations denounced his decision, and critics lit up the phones and flooded inboxes at the archdiocesan headquarters in Braintree.
But the cardinal, who increasingly uses his blog as his primary means of communicating, decided to seize the moment as an opportunity to try to explicate the relationship between his opposition to abortion rights and his belief that as a pastor it was right for him to be present with those who were mourning the loss of the most prominent Catholic in Massachusetts.

Catholic leaders defend O’Malley - The Boston Globe

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