A eulogy at his funeral mass by a Father Hession, (we think appropriately surnamed):
“Ted Kennedy was a public man, with a public faith. His strong suit was a central stream of biblical faith, expressed both in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.”
Then, he added: “His strong suit was the faith of the great Hebrew prophets of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos.” Finally, Fr. Hession insisted: “His public faith was reinforced and nurtured in the Christian scriptures.” The homily delivered by Fr. Mark R. Hession, one of the concelebrants, who went so far as to compare the faith of the deceased senator with that of the prophets in the Old Testament.
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With the opening of the movie “Chappaquidick” this Friday, it seems appropriate to remember Senator Ted Kennedy as he was portrayed by the celebrants and the attendees at his Catholic funeral Mass in 2009 as reported in a publication by “The American Society for The Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property“, an organization of lay Catholic Americans.
Reflections on the Kennedy Funeral Mass
September 2, 2009 | Luiz Sérgio Solimeo
“The Mass celebrated on August 29 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Roxbury, Mass. in memory of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy is rightly causing scandal among Catholics, who see it as a posthumous glorification of the deceased Massachusetts politician, as well as a resounding approval of his pro-abortion and pro-homosexual endeavors.1
Leaving aside the tumultuous life of the deceased, to pay homage to someone whose political action consistently opposed Catholic morals is a grave scandal, made even graver by the use of a liturgical ceremony for ideological and political ends.
Gayle Trotter at Townhall reporting on the movie has some commentary as well:
Five Things You Should Know About the New Chappaquiddick Movie (excerpt)
3. While it is difficult to imagine the craven cowardice of the married Senator escaping with his life and deserting his younger female companion who is trapped underwater, it’s downright excruciating to watch. Teddy walks away from the car, leaving Kopechne to suffocate and immediately begins damage control for his family and for his political career.
As Kopechne starts saying her prayers as the pocket of air runs out, you feel the terrifying darkness she experienced in her final moments. In the ensuing inquest into Kopechne’s death, EMT captain and rescue diver John Farrar testified: “It looked as if she were holding herself up to get a last breath of air. It was a consciously assumed position. . . . She didn’t drown. She died of suffocation in her own air void. It took her at least three or four hours to die. I could have had her out of that car 25 minutes after I got the call. But he didn’t call.”
Chappaquiddick was Ted Kennedy’s Profile in Cowardice. Some view Kennedy’s ability to remain in the United States Senate after Kopechne’s scandalous death as a testament to the overwhelming power of the incumbency advantage. Instead, as the movie shows, Kennedy survived politically as a result of a concerted cover-up and his wealthy, politically connected family’s ability to whitewash their misdeeds.
4. The character development is powerful. At one point, Kennedy seeks his cousin’s sympathy, pointing out that all great men had flaws, from Moses to St. Peter and on throughout history. His cousin retorts: “Moses didn’t leave a dead girl at the bottom of the Red Sea.”
DLH
Talk about torture cover-ups:
