Kennedy's Catholicism: Loyal, Conflicted
U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy was raised from birth to cherish his Catholicism, and it became both a source of comfort and conflict throughout his life.
The son of the country's most famous Catholic family defied church teachings when he divorced his first wife, then was granted an annulment only after he admitted he wasn't being honest when he promised her he'd be faithful. His most significant and public break with the church came with his support for abortion rights.
Yet Kennedy also advocated for signature Catholic causes, such as help for the poor, health care and immigration reform, and opposition to the Iraq war. His faith remained a regular part of his life until it ended this week with a priest at his bedside.
The apparently conflicting portrait of a man loyal to the church despite widening disagreement on key issues "almost perfectly represents" the views of most American Catholics, said Boston College professor Alan Wolfe.
"He's an effect of a process that's been going on for a very long time that started long before Teddy Kennedy was born and will continue long after Teddy Kennedy is dead," Wolfe said.
Read more of CBSNews.com's complete coverage of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's life and death
Kennedy's mother, Rose Kennedy, set the roots of his faith, emphasizing Christ's teaching in the Gospels that "to whom much is given, much will be required." When her kids were teens, she made sure they went to a weekend religious camp every year, even if they'd rather be sailing, said Adam Clymer, who worked with Kennedy on his biography. She took them to church during the week, so they knew church wasn't just for Sundays.
In his eulogy during her 1995 funeral, Kennedy called his mother's faith "the greatest gift she gave us."
A commitment to Catholicism was not always evident in Kennedy's personal life, which was marred by problems with alcohol and philandering. In 1983, he was forbidden from receiving communion after his divorce - which the church forbids - from his first wife, Joan.
The public learned more than a decade later that he'd been granted an annulment after he was seen accepting Communion at his mother's funeral. Joan later said that Kennedy requested the annulment, which she did not oppose, on grounds that his marriage vow to be faithful had not been honestly made, Clymer said.
Kennedy never discussed his annulment and also rarely spoke publicly of his Catholicism.
"I think faith oftentimes is deeply felt in the marrow of your bones, it's a matter of the heart," said Kennedy's friend, the Rev. Gerry Creedon, a Washington-area priest. "He had trouble articulating his inner feelings, his deepest conviction and matters of emotion, the heart."
One of Kennedy's longest discussions of his faith came in 1983 in an unlikely place - political foe Jerry Falwell's Liberty University:
"I am an American and a Catholic; I love my country and treasure my faith," Kennedy said. "But I do not assume that my conception of patriotism or policy is invariably correct, or that my convictions about religion should command any greater respect than any other faith in this pluralistic society. I believe there surely is such a thing as truth, but who among us can claim a monopoly on it?"
In the same speech, Kennedy referred to abortion, criticizing some religious people for wanting government to "tell citizens how to live uniquely personal parts of their lives." His pro-abortion rights stance was a flip from early in his career and tough for many Catholics to accept, even those who admire his work in other areas they consider "pro-life" - such as anti-war, anti-poverty and anti-death penalty causes.
"There's this big, 'What if?'" said Catholic author Michael Sean Winters. "If Ted Kennedy had stuck to his pro-life position, would both the (Democratic) party and the country have embraced the abortion on demand policies that we have now? And I don't think so."
Read more stories on Sen. Kennedy's life and death at CBSNews.com:
CBS News Special: Ted Kennedy - The Last Brother
All Along Procession Route, Lives Changed
Kennedy Did His Life's Work Until the End
Kennedy's Bad Boy Days
Who Is Heir to Kennedy's Liberal Legacy?
Russell Shaw, former spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said when Kennedy defied the church on issues such as abortion and later, gay marriage, he reinforced a corrosive belief among Catholics that they can simply ignore teachings they don't agree with.
Kennedy's differences with the church never kept him from Mass. When he was in Washington, Kennedy would attend Blessed Sacrament Church in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and sometimes stop in at St. Joseph's on Capitol Hill, said Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the Washington Archdiocese. In his last days, Kennedy leaned hard on his faith. Creedon said he visited with Kennedy last Friday, offering him a blessing and praying the Lord's Prayer with him.
"He just was a man of deep piety and devotion, as well as public commitments in the area of the Gospel," Creedon said.
Kennedy's relationship with the Catholic church was rocky, Shaw said, but there's no doubt it was enduring. Judging the quality of Kennedy's faith isn't for him, he said.
"Now it's up to God," he said.
By Associated Press Writer Jay Lindsay
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The son of the country's most famous Catholic family defied church teachings when he divorced his first wife, then was granted an annulment only after he admitted he wasn't being honest when he promised her he'd be faithful. His most significant and public break with the church came with his support for abortion rights.
Yet Kennedy also advocated for signature Catholic causes, such as help for the poor, health care and immigration reform, and opposition to the Iraq war. His faith remained a regular part of his life until it ended this week with a priest at his bedside.
The apparently conflicting portrait of a man loyal to the church despite widening disagreement on key issues "almost perfectly represents" the views of most American Catholics, said Boston College professor Alan Wolfe.
"He's an effect of a process that's been going on for a very long time that started long before Teddy Kennedy was born and will continue long after Teddy Kennedy is dead," Wolfe said.
Read more of CBSNews.com's complete coverage of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's life and death
Kennedy's mother, Rose Kennedy, set the roots of his faith, emphasizing Christ's teaching in the Gospels that "to whom much is given, much will be required." When her kids were teens, she made sure they went to a weekend religious camp every year, even if they'd rather be sailing, said Adam Clymer, who worked with Kennedy on his biography. She took them to church during the week, so they knew church wasn't just for Sundays.
In his eulogy during her 1995 funeral, Kennedy called his mother's faith "the greatest gift she gave us."
A commitment to Catholicism was not always evident in Kennedy's personal life, which was marred by problems with alcohol and philandering. In 1983, he was forbidden from receiving communion after his divorce - which the church forbids - from his first wife, Joan.
The public learned more than a decade later that he'd been granted an annulment after he was seen accepting Communion at his mother's funeral. Joan later said that Kennedy requested the annulment, which she did not oppose, on grounds that his marriage vow to be faithful had not been honestly made, Clymer said.
Kennedy never discussed his annulment and also rarely spoke publicly of his Catholicism.
"I think faith oftentimes is deeply felt in the marrow of your bones, it's a matter of the heart," said Kennedy's friend, the Rev. Gerry Creedon, a Washington-area priest. "He had trouble articulating his inner feelings, his deepest conviction and matters of emotion, the heart."
One of Kennedy's longest discussions of his faith came in 1983 in an unlikely place - political foe Jerry Falwell's Liberty University:
"I am an American and a Catholic; I love my country and treasure my faith," Kennedy said. "But I do not assume that my conception of patriotism or policy is invariably correct, or that my convictions about religion should command any greater respect than any other faith in this pluralistic society. I believe there surely is such a thing as truth, but who among us can claim a monopoly on it?"
In the same speech, Kennedy referred to abortion, criticizing some religious people for wanting government to "tell citizens how to live uniquely personal parts of their lives." His pro-abortion rights stance was a flip from early in his career and tough for many Catholics to accept, even those who admire his work in other areas they consider "pro-life" - such as anti-war, anti-poverty and anti-death penalty causes.
"There's this big, 'What if?'" said Catholic author Michael Sean Winters. "If Ted Kennedy had stuck to his pro-life position, would both the (Democratic) party and the country have embraced the abortion on demand policies that we have now? And I don't think so."
Read more stories on Sen. Kennedy's life and death at CBSNews.com:
CBS News Special: Ted Kennedy - The Last Brother
All Along Procession Route, Lives Changed
Kennedy Did His Life's Work Until the End
Kennedy's Bad Boy Days
Who Is Heir to Kennedy's Liberal Legacy?
Russell Shaw, former spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said when Kennedy defied the church on issues such as abortion and later, gay marriage, he reinforced a corrosive belief among Catholics that they can simply ignore teachings they don't agree with.
Kennedy's differences with the church never kept him from Mass. When he was in Washington, Kennedy would attend Blessed Sacrament Church in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and sometimes stop in at St. Joseph's on Capitol Hill, said Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the Washington Archdiocese. In his last days, Kennedy leaned hard on his faith. Creedon said he visited with Kennedy last Friday, offering him a blessing and praying the Lord's Prayer with him.
"He just was a man of deep piety and devotion, as well as public commitments in the area of the Gospel," Creedon said.
Kennedy's relationship with the Catholic church was rocky, Shaw said, but there's no doubt it was enduring. Judging the quality of Kennedy's faith isn't for him, he said.
"Now it's up to God," he said.
By Associated Press Writer Jay Lindsay
Popular in Politics
- Obama prom pictures surface 107 Comments
- Is President Obama ending the war on terror?
- IRS official Lois Lerner placed on leave 100 Comments
- Now, some unions upset over Obamacare
- Rep. Jo Bonner to resign from House for university job
- Protester heckles Obama during counterterrorism speech Play Video
- Obama: America at a "crossroads" in fighting terrorism 106 Comments
- Obama to tour Jersey Shore with Gov. Christie
2. You can only obtain an "anullment" if you claim that a condition or situation existed BEFORE the marriage was consumated which may preclude it's validation. It can be something as simple as immaturity or as complex as psychological issues, being forced down the aisle by an outside party, deception ( fake pregnancy? Homosexuality of the other partner? ) There are loads of reasons the church will accept as long as these reasons existed BEFORE the wedding. Oh .. and over 90% of annullment petitions are granted. It does not cost a fortune and is not very complicated. You do not have to "go through Rome" as some poor, misinformed people think.
And your former spouse does not have to agree to the annullment or even participate. The Respondent can try to fight it, but he/she will usually lose. The Petitioner will usually be granted the annullment. You do have to be legally divorced before your diocese tribunal will accept your petition.
Do you know that during Christ's time, abortion was practiced as normal birth control? Look it up. Interesting the methods that Roman and Hebrew women used. It wasn't considered right or wrong ... it just WAS. It was even accepted by the early Christian faith until Pope something-or-other decided it was wrong.
So Ted Kennedy wasn't perfect. Big deal ... who IS? If you have Medicare or are disabled or have ever needed to take time off to take care of a sick loved one or a new baby, THANK HIM and shut up about all his faults. I don't see you b*tching about all the lives lost in Bush's phoney war.
Anyway, Ted was NOT perfect. None of us are. Amazing how un-Christianlike so many posters are on these sites. After he married his second wife, he did seem to change in a profound manner.
Unbelievable! Admitted that he lied, to a Priest, in a religious ceremony, in a church, about intending to keep his wedding vows. Any wonder that Pope Benedict has made NO statement on the passing of this Bum?
Priceless! Brings to mind nothing so much as Lisa Simpsons timeless comment, when she saw Bart praying fervently on his knees, for a snow storm to close Springfield Elementary, the night before the big test for which he was monumentally unprepared. Noted the little sweetie, "Religion, the last refuge of the scoundrel!" Fits teddy like a glove.
Of his K of C concil. But the church in MASS. intervernd to let
Kennedy say he quit. NOT TRUE!
jab4
He was the staunch unrelenting fighter against the ban on partial birth abortion.
.
Just like McDonald's: Billions and billions served. Yummy.