Books in Review
The Lion as Catholic
What did Ted Kennedy's memoir say about his Catholicism?
(Page 2 of 2)
As a freshman senator, Ted Kennedy relates, he joined Protestant colleagues at a regular prayer breakfast. (He says quite candidly that he joined for purely political reasons.) When the venerable Sen. Richard Russell asked his young colleague from Massachusetts to lead the group in prayer, Kennedy could think of nothing to say except the standard Catholic formula for grace before and after meals— both of which he said, and then repeated for good measure. He was certainly capable of extemporaneous public speech, but not of spontaneous public prayer.
At times Ted Kennedy refers to Catholicism with a proprietary air, as if the faith were something he owned (or, perhaps, another extension of himself). Although they were never known for theological erudition, the Kennedys were personally acquainted with many Catholic prelates, and Ted seems to believe—against all evidence—that his family influenced the decisions of the Church hierarchy. He makes the preposterous claim that his brother Bobby’s argument against the controversial preaching of Father Leonard Feeney at Harvard “became an animating impulse of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican [sic], which opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962.”
Kennedy mentions his Catholicism hundreds of times in this book, but almost invariably he is referring to the cultural heritage of Catholicism rather than to its doctrinal content or its spiritual exercises—the form rather than the substance of his faith. Still he insists that his faith shaped his political outlook. In one of the book’s most revealing passages, he relates how his thoughts matured as he entered adult life:
My own center of belief, as I matured and grew curious about these things, moved toward the great Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25 especially, in which he calls us to care for the least of these among us, and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, visit the imprisoned. It’s enormously significant to me that the only description in the Bible about salvation is tied to one’s willingness to act on behalf of one’s fellow human beings.
It boggles the mind that an adult Catholic—who presumably heard the Scriptures read at every Sunday Mass, even if he never read the Bible himself— could claim that there is only one passage in the Bible addressing the question of salvation. But the above quotation contains another sign, less obvious but even more telling, of the author’s detached attitude toward his faith. When he says that “he calls us to care for the least of these among us,” Kennedy never identifies who “he” is. The name of Jesus does not appear anywhere in this memoir.
“All of my life, the teachings of my faith have provided solace and hope,” Kennedy wrote as he faced the prospect of death. He surely did draw solace from his faith, but not guidance. He knew that the Church offered words of comfort; he never recognized that the Church also spoke with authority. So in his final illness, while he felt the need to write to Pope Benedict XVI, asking for the pontiff’s blessing, he still saw no need to renounce his long history of public opposition to Church teaching on the dignity of life.
A Christianity without Jesus, a Catholicism without sacraments, a doctrine without authority: this is the conception of the Church that emerges from True Compass. Ted Kennedy saw Catholicism as an important part of his identity, of his family history, of his cultural patrimony. But his life story provides very little evidence that his faith shaped his political ideals. On the contrary, it seems clear that his political ideals shaped the content of his faith. The story of Ted Kennedy’s public life is, to an alarming extent, the story of a generation of Catholics—in Boston in particular, in America in general. It is, regrettably, not a story of how these Catholics shaped the popular culture, but of how that culture changed their faith.
About the Author
Philip F. Lawler is the editor of Catholic World News (cwnews.com) and the author of The Faithful Departed: The Collapse of Boston's Catholic Culture (Encounter).
Letter to the Editor View all comments (56) | Leave a comment
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Appleby| 2.8.10 @ 6:32AM
Ted Kennedy was a *devout Catholic* in the same way Michael Corleone, and millions of Cosa Nostra/Mafiosi were. I supect he was very surprised when he reached the Judgment Seat to find that Gods definition was considerably different from his own.
Melvin| 2.8.10 @ 8:10AM
AMEN Brother.
We can still say amen in a public forum can't we? I don't want Janet sending the IRS agents to come get me eager to try out their new shotguns they just bought last week.
Alan Brooks| 2.8.10 @ 8:44PM
Ted is still outside the Pearly Gates, while dogs sniff his luggage for coke.
Richard Baker| 2.8.10 @ 7:04AM
If he admits to his egregious failings then why did he continue and become known by them? I forgot, he was a Kennedy.
Alan Brooks| 2.8.10 @ 10:45PM
REPORTER: "Mr. Kennedy, you have been accused of being ruthless."
RFK: "Tell me who has called me ruthless and I will destroy him."
La Realidad| 2.8.10 @ 10:54AM
You nailed that one on the head Mr. Lawler especially in that last paragraph. This man was the stereotype and most visible "Cafeteria Catholic" in the American public. We all have our misgivings but continuing to live them out without repentance is mindboggling.
Popular culture has changed the faith of millions and not vice versa. It's going to take more than a generation and a lot of prayers to reverse this trend.
Copyleft| 2.9.10 @ 1:16PM
Such "cafeteria" style picking and choosing is Catholicism's only hope of survival. If the church insisted on preserving all the outrageous, immoral, and vicious elements of its faith intact, the next generation of Americans would abandon it completely.
And rightly so. Ted's generation did the right thing--focus on the good elements of Catholicism (such as the message in Matthew) and throw out the garbage.
Ranger| 2.9.10 @ 9:04PM
Copyleft, if one can pick and choose which elements of faith to believe, one is treating salvation much like a visit to Baskin Robbins - as an ice cream flavor. If one doesn't accept the message of Catholicism, one should not be a Catholic. But then, the left is so much more erudite and discerning than the rest of us. You might want to check into the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John.
Copyleft| 2.12.10 @ 4:02PM
I agree, Ranger; "compromising Catholics" are just one step toward the far more moral and ethical position of abandoning Catholicism entirely.
But any progress is better than no progress at all!
Alan Brooks| 2.12.10 @ 7:10PM
You may be confusing social progress with
economic and technoscientific progress.
Nick| 2.8.10 @ 11:07AM
Mr. Lawler,
Thanks for reading "The Swimmer's" tripe, so we don't have to.
Teddy was a CINO - Catholic In Name Only. I hope and pray that he repented before he died. But, his claim to be Roman Catholic needs to be rebutted, even after his death.
This is one of the worst failings of the bishops during the past 40+ years. Not publicly rebuking public figures who try to wear Catholic clothing, while publicly promoting evil. The proverbial "wolves in sheep clothing" Christ warned us about.
For Teddy, San Fran Nan, Biden, Kerry, etc., the Catholic Church is just another club they use to network to scam votes. And they feel entitled to do so, because their mommies had them baptized when they were one month old.
They believe this was a lifetime membership card that cannot be revoked. In a sense, they are right. Baptism marks the soul for eternity. But, free-will allows us to reject God, and His Church anytime.
kingsmill| 2.8.10 @ 11:23AM
Excellent piece. Phil Lawler's struggles against "cultural" Catholicism at the Boston Pilot and elsewhere are much appreciated.
The rapid abandonment of Roman Catholicism,(from the 1940's to the present) by Irish Americans needs to be documented in a scholarly work.
A similar phenomenon has been unfolding in Ireland itself.
There seems to be a tendency to make an idol of a cultural artifact called Catholicism. An artifact that can be exploited and shaped at the whim of the "believer". The history of Ireland in the 20th century shows that a great part of public piety was the product of political forces having to do with opposition to British dominance. Catholicism was used as a weapon and a means of solidarity. Upon removal of British imperialism, public Catholicism quickly faded.
Likewise in the USA, the material success of Irish Catholics, insured a great diminution in Catholic practice.
The Kennedys were/are trailblazers in this decadence.
Seawolfman| 2.9.10 @ 10:32AM
Very good piece on the Late Sen. Kennedy. How such a public sinner rated such a public and Quite Catholic funeral, with his emminence, Cardinal O'Malley, attending, confirms the suspicion: we remain leaderless as a people and without courageous rudder guidance as Roman Catholics.
Hopefully we're done with the Kennedy's, and Bishops with real balls will emerge.
Pingback| 2.8.10 @ 11:54AM
Twitter Trackbacks for The American Spectator : The Lion as Catholic [spectator.org] links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Darragh| 2.8.10 @ 12:14PM
I do think Kennedy was sincere in his pursuit of greater social good regarding some issues. However, as this piece intimates, he also did great harm-- his lack of moral courage taking away the rights of the unborn, along with negatively affecting many other issues. Had he stood up for his beliefs, others would have followed.
As a middle aged Irish Catholic, I believe that what seems like a decline in American Irish Catholicism is attributable to laziness, naivete, conformity and a similar lack of moral courage, the courage that Christ asks of us. Many are content to go along with the "recovering Catholic" line and/or explorations of individualistic spirituality that have nothing to do with their history or culture.
I further believe the day will come in my lifetime when Catholics are imprisoned for their faith. Maybe our challenging cultural milieu is not so terrible--to know how precious faith is. Despite everything--the community with God and others that I see in my small parish gives me comfort far beyond the emptiness I see in our culture.
milo| 2.8.10 @ 2:12PM
Up until the end the Princes of the Church in Boston reaffirmed "The Coward of the Commons" as a Catholic by their silent affirmation.
Tim| 2.8.10 @ 2:28PM
'By their fruits ye shall know them."
Ted bore a lot of rotten fruit.
Rick| 2.8.10 @ 4:04PM
It says in the Good Book "Not to judge, lest thee be judged." Well, I won't judge that's the right of a much higher authority. I will say that Ted Kennedy was a detractor of the American way of life.
Ed N| 2.8.10 @ 5:30PM
I was opposed to almost everything he did in life but I do not wish damnation on anyone. To hear the screams of the aborted for all eternity is not something I would wish on even Teddy.
Let us pray that he understood the Truth as he exhaled for the final time and his final thoughts were "oh my God, I am truly sorry for having offended thee..."
Alan Brooks| 2.8.10 @ 10:44PM
Ted was no role model, unless you simply cannot resist booze & coke.
Carl G. Pyper| 2.8.10 @ 5:35PM
In response to the above:
1. Kennedy, E.M.'s singular pursuit of any "greater social good" was his own social status/compulsive-obcessive self indulgence.
2. "The Coward of the Commons" is one of several monikers that suit E.M.'s debasement of society.
3. The only resemblance E.M.K. has to a lion (or any other cat), is that cats are lazy (there are eight of them around me right now to prove the point). Otherwise, lions and all other cats perform usefully in nature...in addition to being creatures that are attractive to humans. "Boar Hog of the Senate" is appropriate for this conniving pig of humanity.
Alan Brooks| 2.12.10 @ 7:07PM
But lions are predatory and randy.
Ken| 2.8.10 @ 5:48PM
Good piece, although I don't think there is any reason for a Catholic to make up a prayer before and after meals.
Using the "standard Catholic formula" works for monks and saints -- and in this case, senators guilty of public scandal. Whatever serious faults, not creating a protestant-ad-libbed grace was not one of them for Kennedy.
Mark| 2.8.10 @ 10:26PM
I think it stands to reason that since Fat Teddy joined the prayer group for political reasons his calling himself a Catholic was probably no more than a political move as well.
Pingback| 2.9.10 @ 2:39AM
Left Coast Rebel: Morgan Freeman on Black History Month | Morgan Freeman Celebrity Mo links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Tony in Central PA| 2.9.10 @ 12:30PM
A well written review, even though I haven't and don't intend to read the book. There have been many of these works of autobiographical revisionism over the years by public figures as death approaches. I'm more impressed by those who leave quietly.
Alan Brooks| 2.14.10 @ 5:16PM
Ted's family was spectacular-- which sells books by the truckload.
The saga is over now; Joe Jr. killed in his plane 66 years ago; JFK and RFK both assassinated in the '60s. And of course Ted died last summer.
GAME OVER.
Pingback| 2.19.10 @ 11:07PM
The Singular Pursuit of God links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Louis T Luca Jr| 2.21.10 @ 1:48PM
I agree with one of the comments of Kennedy
totally following the real catholic faith. If he had done that, abortion would have suffered a setback, But he continued to fight against the
Catholic Faith and with no certain knowledge of
his 'repentance' I pray he did with conviction.
People go through life thinking that the applause
of the world is all there is in life.Will they have a rude awakening.
mili8951| 5.10.10 @ 2:05AM
http://www.edhardycawholesale.com/
Puma x Alexander McQueen| 8.12.11 @ 11:33PM
is good