What The Pope Should Have Said
By Adam Groza
By now you have probably read that the late Senator Ted Kennedy wrote a letter to the Pope and the Pope wrote back. Kennedy is widely reported to have written the following:
“Most Holy Father, I asked President Obama to personally hand deliver this letter to you. As a man of deep faith himself, he understands how important my Roman Catholic faith is to me, and I am deeply grateful to him. I hope this letter finds you in good health. I pray that you have all of God’s blessings as you lead our Church and inspire our world during these challenging times. I am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines. I was diagnosed with brain cancer more than a year ago, and, although I continue treatment, the disease is taking its toll on me. I am 77 years old and preparing for the next passage of life. I have been blessed to be a part of a wonderful family, and both of my parents, particularly my mother, kept our Catholic faith at the center of our lives. That gift of faith has sustained, nurtured and provided solace to me in the darkest hours. I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith, I have tried to right my path. I want you to know, Your Holiness, that in my nearly 50 years of elective office, I have done my best to champion the rights of the poor and open doors of economic opportunity. I’ve worked to welcome the immigrant, fight discrimination and expand access to health care and education. I have opposed the death penalty and fought to end war. Those are the issues that have motivated me and been the focus of my work as a United States Senator. I also want you to know that even though I am ill, I am committed to do everything I can to achieve access to health care for everyone in my country. This has been the political cause of my life. I believe in a conscience protection for Catholics in the health care field and will continue to advocate for it as my colleagues in the Senate and I work to develop an overall national health policy that guarantees health care for everyone. I have always tried to be a faithful Catholic, Your Holiness, and though I have fallen short through human failings, I have never failed to believe and respect the fundamental teachings. I continue to pray for God’s blessings on you and our Church and would be most thankful for your prayers for me.”
The Pope’s response follows:
“The Holy Father has read the letter which you entrusted to President Barack Obama, who kindly presented it to him during their recent meeting. He was saddened to know of your illness, and has asked me to assure you of his concern and his spiritual closeness. He is particularly grateful for your promise of prayers for him and for the needs of the universal Church. His Holiness prays that in the days ahead you may be sustained in faith and hope, and granted the precious grace of joyful surrender to the will of God our merciful Father. He invokes upon you the consolation and peace promised by the Risen Savior to all who share in His sufferings and trust in His promise of eternal life. Commending you and the members of your family to the loving intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of wisdom, comfort and strength in the Lord.”
My condolences to the Kennedy family: However, I cannot help but wish the Pope had written an additional paragraph:
“The Holy Father is deeply grieved, however, that in your 46 years as a senator, you consistently supported the murder of unborn children through legalized abortion. In contradiction to the infallible teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, you voted against defining an unborn fetus as a child. You voted against prohibiting minors from crossing state lines to procure an abortion. You voted against informing parents when minors procure an out-of-state abortion. You voted to increase funding for education and contraceptives, despite the Church’s position against contraceptives! You voted against banning partial birth abortions. You voted against the ban on abortions at military bases. You voted to protect partial birth abortions. NARAL gave you a 100% pro-choice voting record. You could have spoken out against the horror of abortion. You could have used your position and your name to bring an end to legalized murder, especially partial birth abortion. You supported murder, Ted. Before you die, you should repent and seek the forgiveness of God, your church, and your country.”
The Pope, having tremendous power, is in a perfect position to lead many to Christ. I am sure a call to faith and repentance would have greatly affected the senator. My prayer is that the Lord blesses the Pope with faith and repentance so that he may be used by God to lead countless more to the same end.
Well put, Jason.
I was thinking the exact same thing as I read Kennedy’s letter. Thanks for posting that Adam. On that note, when you’re here in October do you want to do the CPC Walk for Life with us? It’s Saturday morning the 24th.
This is a little troubling, and shows the general lack of forgiveness among many Christians today.
The Pope responded as a gracious, blessed shepherd should. This was not the time and place to cast judgment; it was a time for mercy. Besides, we have no idea what was in Ted Kennedy’s heart or if he had confessed to his priest at some point in the past about some of the mistakes he’s made as a politician (and they WERE tragic mistakes, and anti-Christian).
I don’t think Ted was a great man or anything of the sort, but neither are you, and neither am I. The Church is a place of healing for sinners. Don’t be blinded in self-righteousness and mistake the Church for a place of casting stones. Jesus was clear on this point, in my humble opinion. If we refuse to be merciful and forgive others’ sins and shortcomings, then the Lord will not be merciful and forgiving towards us. That’s a tough truth to handle, isn’t it? Lord have mercy.
Peace,
GVM
The sins of Ted Kennedy are, no doubt, an issue for him to take up with his local parish priest and bishop. This event shouldn’t be made to showcase Roman Catholic Church politics or satisfy the pressing convictions of others, however good-intentioned they may be, to make a public spectacle of a man seeking blessing and guidance from his spiritual elder.
In Christ,
Ben Gliddon
GVM,
The problem is that there is no reason to think that the senator is part of the church. There is no forgiveness of sin outside of the church.
Blessings,
Jason
I do not disagree with neither of the letters but I am concerned at a pastoral level. I am not Catholic, but I do appreciate the many contributions to RCC to our world. On a Christian pastoral level I feel disturbed by the feeling of needing that extra paragraph. Is this what we should practice with every dying person that request our prayers, to enlist their sins? Aren’t there kindest ways to talk about grace and forgiveness and ecourage to seek them?
Plus, was Kennedy already forgiven by faith through the grace of Christ or not? If he was, then the record on abortion, if needed forgiveness, would have been already forgiven, right? If he was not already forgiven by faith through the grace of Christ, then abortion record is not the main issue but sin itself, separation from God?
GVM:
Grace commands us to deny sin (Titus 2:11-12) and so it is often the gracious thing to do to confront people who are in sin. Jesus says this in Matthew 18. Paul does it to Peter in Galatians 1. Jesus tells tht on the day of judgement he will turn people away from heaven who claim to be Christians, rebuking them as “workers of iniquity” who by their unrepentent sin demonstrated that they did not “know Me.” (Matthew 7:21-23).
So in saying the pope should have confronted Kennedy’s sin I am only asking him to be a shepherd like Paul, Peter, and ultimately, Jesus. If you think that is ungracious, then quite frankly, your understanding of grace needs modification.
Better for the pope to say what I suggest and give Kennedy a chance to repent than to hear Christ say “depart from me” as he says he *will* say to *many* on the day of judgement.
How can you say he wasnt part of the church (by which I think you mean Roman Catholic Church)? If this is correct, then he is a member by virtue of his baptism and having been confirmed and partaken of the sacraments. If by church you mean the universal church of all believers, then I agree! How can someone be a member of the body of Christ and advocate, not just support but advocate, the muder of unborn children? So it hinges on what you mean by church, or rather, to which church you are referring.
Thanks,
Adam
Ben,
I think it would be a perfect opportunity for two reasons: (1) There was a genuine need for Kennedy to repent of a sin according to his own church, led by the Pope! Kennedy was under the impression he was a good Catholic, but in fact, he led a movement that ran contrary to the teaching of his church and so, better to repent on earth, right? The pope had a chance to truly shepherd Ted and that didn’t happen. And not on some small issue mind you! Ted has spent his life promoting abortion, of this the pope was surely aware. (2) You are right that Kenndy was seeking blessing and guidance. Guidance, in this case, would be to repent of this glaring and haneous sin. Blessing comes from repentance and faith. My suggestion would have offered a chance for true blessing and represents the guidance of Christ and his apostles, specifically Peter and Paul.
Thanks,
Adam
Xergio,
Good comment. I agree with you about the RCC. However, I dissagree that calling someone to repentence is unpastoral in the face of death. Let’s think of a different scenario:
Say a man has abandoned his wife and children and lived. He never is willing to talk to them, seek their forgiveness, or the like. He finds out he has terminal cancer and has 1 month to live. Your his pastor, and he comes to you and wants to have that “end of life” conversation. He may have truly come to faith and have been forgiven, but he has still sinned against his family and left a terrible example for his church and needs to seek their forgiveness.
Ultimately, I do not know if Ted Kennedy was a Christian. But I do know that it is pastoral to urge people to seek forgiveness when they have sinned, both from God and others. The RCC has to say Kennedy sinned against God and the church by promoting abortion, so their is one level he needed to seek forgiveness. The RCC would also say he sinned against his country for failing to be a godly citizen by failing to protect the unborn. So on both these levels there should have been a call to repent. There was not, and that is ther purpose for the post.
Just because we are forgiven by God doesnt mean we still do not ask forgiveness. We confess and experience the forgiveness secured by the sacrifice of Christ. Confession is the act of expressing our need for the forgivenss we have in Christ.
Thanks,
Adam
I agree, if you are that man’s pastor that you should call him to that kind of repentance. Hopefully, you have been doing that during you ministry to this man so it won’t be a surprise or a new topic.
But the Pope was not Ted Kennedy’s pastor or confessor. As much as I agree with you in essence, I believe that that extra paragraph would have been unkind and uncalled for in that particular circumstance.
The RCC has been very strong against abortion. Some priests even denied communion to John Kerry because of his abortion stance! They do not kid around. Even now, as concerned as they are with social justice, the USCCB does not support the current version of the Health Care bill due to their antiabortion, anti contraception stance. So it is not a an issue that they gloss over or much less condone. I believe the Pope was just being kind and appropriate, that extra paragraph would have denied those two and aded nothing to their public stance against the evil of abortion.
Thanks,
Xergio,
I agree that a local priest should have done this long ago. But that does not mean the pope should not. The RCC teaches that the Pope has universal spiritual jurisdiction and immediate jurisdiction over all the members of the RCC. So he is over all the church and as such is the supreme judge of the faithful. Those are the exact words of the Catholic Encyclopedia regarding the Pope.
You say my paragraph would add nothing. I dissagree. It would add the weight of papal authority that not only is the Church against abortion but it also disciplines its members who promote abortion, especially those who are in positions of power and use that power to promote legalized murder. If the Pope had used this opportunity to rebuke Kennedy -like Jesus rebukes Peter, like Paul rebuked Peter, and like John rebukes Diotrephes in 3 John- then the world would stand agast that the Church respects no man but calls all men to follow Christ and His church.
It would have been epic.
Adam