EWTN's Pope Emeritus Benedict's Funeral Mass & Other Specials schedule

 

 

EWTN to Air Pope Emeritus Benedict's Funeral Mass and Other Specials 

Irondale, AL (EWTN) – EWTN will broadcast the Funeral Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as well as many other special programs on Thursday, Jan. 5. The day’s schedule appears below. Please note: Times are subject to change. For live updates, please check EWTN’s website, www.ewtn.com/tv/schedule; the EWTN app; and EWTN’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ewtnonline. Here’s the lineup:

Thursday, Jan. 5

2:30 a.m. ET – Funeral Mass for the Repose of the Soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI - Pope Francis celebrates the Solemn Funeral Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, live from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Encores at 2:30 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET.

8 a.m. ET - Mass for the Repose of the Soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI – Live from the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels in Irondale, AL, celebrated by the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word. Encore at 7 p.m. ET.

9 a.m. ET - Rosary for the Repose of the Soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI - Live from the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels in Irondale, AL, led by the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word.

11 a.m. ET – The Papacy of Reason – Interviews with Church leaders, Vatican experts, Vatican experts, and prominent Catholic journalists on the principal teaching themes of the Pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI.

12:10 p.m. ET - Memorial Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI - From the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., celebrated by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio, in the Great Upper Church of the Basilica.

1:30 p.m. ET – Thought of Pope Benedict XVI: Who is Joseph Ratzinger? – A spirited meditation on the life of Pope Benedict XVI with Fr. Charles Connor, Ph.D.

4:30 p.m. ET – Remembering Pope Emeritus Benedict Special from Rome - An in-depth look at the life and legacy of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

Learn more about Pope Benedict’s life and papacy at ewtn.com/benedict.

In addition to our broadcasted programs, view all past Masses, news updates, and live streamed programs on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.

For all the ways to access EWTN, please go to www.ewtn.com/everywhere.

In its 42nd year, EWTN is the largest religious media network in the world. EWTN’s 11 global TV channels are broadcast in multiple languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week to over 400 million television households in more than 150 countries and territories. EWTN platforms also include radio services transmitted through SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 500 domestic and international AM & FM radio affiliates; a worldwide shortwave radio service; one of the largest Catholic websites in the U.S.; electronic and print news services, including Catholic News Agency, “The National Catholic Register” newspaper, and several global news wire services; as well as EWTN Publishing, its book publishing division.  

Say goodbye to cemeteries and hello to composting human beings

The term is "recomposition" and the idea has taken off in Washington state. Katrina Spade originally cooked up the idea of composting human beings back in 2013 from a farming friend who composts dead livestock. She now has the backing of Democrat Sen. Jamie Pedersen, who is sponsoring a bill in Washington’s Legislature that if passed, would allow families to compost their death family members as early as 2020.

  "Pedersen sees recomposition as an environmental and a social justice issue." 

It always circles back to social justice. Exactly how it is considered "social justice" is because its cheap-so poor people can compost their dead and then plant a tree in the remains-and composted dead people can help stop erosion.  Senator Pedersen gushes that “People from all over the state who wrote to me are very excited about the prospect of becoming a tree or having a different alternative for themselves”. Becoming a tree eh? 🌳

I was curious to what faith-if any Pedersen subscribed to. According to Wiki, Pedersen is an openly gay Lutheran man "married" to another man and together they are raising four sons. Apparently, in Pedersen's branch of the Lutheran faith one can become a tree after death-and he says it like that's a good thing. 

I asked a Catholic family member what they thought of human composting and her response was, isn't that what happens to us anyway? 

Well, yes, but we aren't scattered in the flower bed or used to mulch the apple tree. Maybe I'm the only one who sees a problem with this. 😕

Quote: "The process involves placing unembalmed human remains wrapped in a shroud in a 5-foot-by-10-foot cylindrical vessel with a bed of organic material such as wood chips, alfalfa and straw. Air is then periodically pulled into the vessel, providing oxygen to accelerate microbial activity. Within approximately one month, the remains are reduced to a cubic yard of compost that can be used to grow new plants."

The Catholic take so far? 

"Alkaline hydrolysis may go against Catholic doctrine that requires the human body to be respected, said James LeGrys, theological adviser to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. LeGrys was unfamiliar with recomposition, but noted that it could be problematic if body parts are separated in any way."

Could be problematic? 

Imagine how this would work...

After the Catholic funeral everyone follows the hearse to the local compost heap and tosses dear old granny in. Then a month later they show up with shovels to either stuff granny's compost into burlap bags or a wheelbarrow so they can tote her back home to their garden. 

Yeah, seems a bit problematic to me. But what do I know? 

I was surprised to learn there is something going on in Germany that is very similar. Though not composted, the cremated remains of people are being put beneath trees in "forest burials". 

Quote: "Asked specifically about the growing trend in his native Germany of "forest burials," where people pay to have their ashes in urns interred at the base of a tree in a designated forest burial ground, Cardinal Muller said the German bishops were not thrilled with the idea, but accepted it with the proviso that the tree be marked with the name of the person buried at its base."🌲

Muller continues...

"We believe in the resurrection of the body and this must be the principle of our understanding and practice," Cardinal Muller told Catholic News Service, noting that there is a difference between allowing for the natural decay of the body while protecting the environment and seeing the body of the deceased primarily as fertilizer for plants and trees."

In Christ and not wishing to be composted, 

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 



Sources: 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/washington-could-become-first-state-legalize-human-composting-n952421 

http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2016/final-resting-place-vatican-releases-instruction-on-burial-cremation.cfm 

Death and funerals

Sorry to have been away from my blog for so long. 

After suffering the sudden tragic death of my 20 year old nephew in late September things have been very difficult. 

While the rest of my family and friends cling to "he's with the angels and our Lord now and at peace"...I know what the Catholic Church has always taught about those who die unbaptized and outside the Church. There is little comfort for me in those words. 

While I have Masses said for him and pray for his soul, I can't help but feel my failure. I took time for granted with him, I thought I would have more time to reach him with the Faith. I did not have that time. I have to live with that. It's a horrid lesson to learn, but one now written deeply within my own soul that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. 

This morning I attended another funeral and will be attending yet another funeral Mass this evening. Two in one day. 

Death seems to have a foothold around here lately and all I am doing is going from one funeral to another. 

What doesn't seem to change is that people want so desperately to believe that when a person dies, they are suddenly perfect and worthy of Heaven merely because they died. Didn't matter how they lived their lives, death in its self seems to make a person worthy of Heaven is the theology too many people cling to. 

Who started this nonsensical idea? Must have been the devil himself. 



In Christ and still in mourning, 


Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 



image: https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Article/TabId/535/ArtMID/13567/ArticleID/22189/Planning-and-Understanding-the-Catholic-Funeral.aspx

Mother Angelica Dies at 92

Mother Angelica Dies at 92

Founded the EWTN Global Catholic Network

Irondale, AL (EWTN) Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, P.C.P.A., known to millions around the world as Foundress of the EWTN Global Catholic Network, died peacefully at 5 p.m. CDT, Easter Sunday, March 27, surrounded by the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Ala.

“This is a sorrow-filled day for the entire EWTN Family,” said EWTN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael P. Warsaw. “Mother has always, and will always, personify EWTN, the Network which she founded. In the face of sickness and long-suffering trials, Mother’s example of joy and prayerful perseverance exemplified the Franciscan spirit she held so dear. We thank God for Mother Angelica and for the gift of her extraordinary life.”

Born Rita Antoinette Rizzo in Canton, Ohio in 1923, she entered the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration in Cleveland on Aug. 15, 1944 at the age of 21. A year later, she received her religious name – Sister Mary Angelica of the Annunciation. Soon after, the Cleveland Monastery established a new foundation in Canton, and Sr. Angelica was chosen to be a member of the community there. On Jan. 2, 1947 she made her first profession of vows and in January 1953, Sister Angelica took her solemn vows as a Poor Clare nun.

In 1956, while awaiting a delicate spinal surgery, Sister Angelica made a promise that, if God would permit her to walk again, she would build a monastery in the South. On May 20, 1962, Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Ala. was dedicated by Archbishop Thomas J. Toolen of Mobile. 
In Irondale, Mother Angelica’s vision took form and her distinctive approach to teaching the Catholic Faith led to parish talks, the publication of pamphlets and books, then radio and television opportunities. By 1980, the Nuns had converted the garage of their monastery into a television studio.

Despite having only a high school education, no television experience and only $200 in the bank, Mother Angelica officially launched the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) on Aug. 15, 1981 and served as the Network’s first Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. She famously refused to air paid advertisements to fund her Network, relying solely on viewer donations, despite coming close to bankruptcy on several occasions.

More than 34 years later, EWTN is the largest Catholic media network in the world, transmitting 11 separate television channels in multiple languages, reaching more than 264 million homes in 145 countries and territories. The Network now also includes multiple radio platforms, online and digital media outlets, global news services and a publishing group.

Known for her humor and ability to colloquially communicate the Catholic Faith to both Catholics and non-Catholics alike, her popular EWTN television show, “Mother Angelica Live” was launched in 1983. Episodes of the program continue to air regularly and have been translated into multiple languages including Spanish, German, and Ukrainian.

In addition to the Eternal Word Television Network and Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, Mother Angelica also founded the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word, a religious community of men based in Irondale.

In 1995, Mother Angelica was inspired by God to begin construction of a new monastery and church on a nearly 400 acre site in rural Hanceville, Ala. By 1999, the nuns relocated from Irondale to the new site in Hanceville. Our Lady of the Angels Monastery and the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament were formally dedicated in December 1999. The Shrine remains one of the most visited tourist sites in the State of Alabama.

Before stepping down as EWTN’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2000, Time magazine described Mother Angelica as, "arguably the most influential Roman Catholic woman in America.”
Throughout her life, she struggled with painful illnesses and physical challenges.  On Christmas Eve of 2001, Mother Angelica suffered a debilitating stroke and cerebral hemorrhage which took away her capacity to speak.

In 2009, she was awarded the prestigious Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal by Pope Benedict XVI in recognition of her faithful and extraordinary service to the Roman Catholic Church. This past February, while on board the plane taking him to Cuba, Pope Francis sent a special blessing to Mother Angelica, and asked her for her prayers.

Mother Angelica’s final years were prayerful and quiet, spent with her nuns at the Monastery she built in Hanceville.  

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. CDT, Friday, April 1 at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville. Interment will immediately follow in the Shrine’s Crypt Church.


Because of limited seating capacity, admission to the Shrine for the funeral Mass will be by invitation only. The public may participate directly outside, in the Shrine’s piazza.  Services will be broadcast by EWTN. Further information is available at www.ewtn.com.

*******

Catholic Leaders React to the Passing of Mother Mary Angelica, P.C.P.A. 

Irondale, AL (EWTN) – Following the announcement of the death of Mother Mary Angelica, P.C.P.A. this evening, several Catholic leaders issued statements reacting to the news of her passing. Known to millions of television viewers around the world, Mother Angelica founded two thriving religious orders, as well as EWTN, the world’s largest religious media network. Mother Angelica died at 5 p.m. CDT, Easter Sunday, March 27, at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Ala.

Mother Dolores Marie, Superior of the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery:
“Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, P.C.P.A. passed peacefully from this life at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery on 5 p.m. CDT, Easter Sunday, March 27, in this Jubilee Year of Mercy, surrounded by the prayers and love of her spiritual daughters, sons and dear friends. Known as “Mother to Millions” to her EWTN Family, she untiringly exhorted all to pursue holiness by living with God in the present moment. We are grateful for your prayers for this courageous daughter of the Church and your support of EWTN, the media network that she founded for the salvation of souls. May our beloved Mother Angelica, Foundress of EWTN, enter through the Mercy of God into the joy of Heaven.”

EWTN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael P. Warsaw: 
“This is a sorrow-filled day for the entire EWTN Family. Mother has always, and will always, personify EWTN, the Network which she founded. In the face of sickness and long-suffering trials, Mother’s example of joy and prayerful perseverance exemplified the Franciscan spirit she held so dear. We thank God for Mother Angelica and for the gift of her extraordinary life. Her accomplishments and legacies in evangelization throughout the world are nothing short of miraculous and can only be attributed to Divine Providence and her unwavering faithfulness to Our Lord. The important thing, as Mother Angelica’s life and the lives so many of the saints have shown us, is to be faithful and to persevere. Mother Angelica’s life has been a life of faith; her prayer life and obedience to God are worthy of our imitation.  Everything she did was an act of faith.”

The Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia:
“Mother Angelica succeeded at a task the nation’s bishops themselves couldn’t achieve.  She founded and grew a network that appealed to everyday Catholics, understood their needs and fed their spirits. Mother Angelica inspired other gifted people to join her in the work without compromising her own leadership and vision. I admired her very much, not just as a talented leader and communicator, but as a friend and great woman religious of generosity, intellect and Catholic faith.”

The Most Reverend Robert J. Baker, Bishop of Birmingham in Alabama:
“Mother Angelica brought the truth and the love and the life of the Gospel of Jesus to so many people, not only to our Catholic household of faith, but to many thousands of people who are not Catholic, in that beautiful way she had of touching lives, bringing so many people into the Catholic Faith.”

Father Anthony Mary Stelten, M.F.V.A., Community Servant, Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word:
“The Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word are deeply saddened by the death of our Foundress, Mother Mary Angelica, P.C.P.A. Mother was an inspiration for all of us in her contemplative life of adoration before the Most Blessed Sacrament and in the deep, personal relationship that she had with the Lord. Her friendly manner, pleasant wit, vision and enthusiastic zeal for evangelization so animated her mission at EWTN and inspired all who had the privilege of getting to know her in person or through the Network. In founding our Community, Mother Angelica imbued our manner of life with her own profound love for the Real Presence, devotion to Our Lady and the spirituality of St. Francis. She shared with us her special charism of evangelization through the modern means of social communication, most especially through service to the apostolate of EWTN. The friars will always treasure the unique relationship we had with Mother Angelica and the way of life that she inspired for us.”

Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight, Knights of Columbus:

“In passing to eternal life, Mother Angelica leaves behind a legacy of holiness and commitment to the New Evangelization that should inspire us all. I was honored to know and be able to assist Mother Angelica during the early days of EWTN. Over the years, that relationship grew, and today the Knights of Columbus and EWTN partner regularly on important projects. Mother Angelica was fearless, because she had God on her side. She saw what He needed her to do and she did it! She transformed the world of Catholic broadcasting, and brought the Gospel to far corners of our world. That witness of faith was unmistakable to anyone who met and worked with her, and generations of Catholics have, and will continue to be formed by her vision, and her "yes" to God's will.”

Party with a funeral corpse?

This is a new one to me...

Apparently these "homegoing" parties are becoming popular these days.  You prop up the corpse (in this video in a home like setting) with the things that were important to the deceased in their life.  Things like beer, cigarettes and disco balls.  
Then you have a party around the corpse with dancing and drinking.  When the party is over, the corpse is finally buried.

All I got for this one is a one big... *SIGH*


In Christ & wanting a proper Catholic burial when my time comes,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

No More Eulogies at Catholic Funerals

Are eulogies at a Catholic funeral appropriate?  The good Archbishop Terrence Pendergast of Ottawa (Canada) says “no” and I couldn’t agree more.

“In the Christ funeral, we gather not to praise the deceased but to pray for them,” the decree states. “For this reason, eulogies are not given.”

Exactly!

After the decree was made public, people began to complain- probably people who don’t regularly attend Mass so don’t understand what a Catholic funeral Mass is about.

"A short explanation of the decision appears in the fall-winter Catholic Ottawa newsletter, written by Father Geoffrey Kerslake. He argued eulogies or words of remembrance are not an official part of Catholic funeral rites.

“The Archdiocese of Ottawa is implementing a new policy for words of remembrance at a funeral with Mass to encourage us to have words of remembrance spoken outside of the context of the Mass, either at the vigil service in the funeral home or at the reception after Mass,” he wrote."

I think the issue people are having is they attend a Protestant funeral and see people talking, celebrating the dead persons life with laughter and tears and WRONGLY ASSUME that this is what a Catholic funeral is about- it’s not.  Not at all.

Protestants do not pray for their dead, Catholics do.  Our Catholic funeral Mass IS a prayer for that dead person to HELP THEM- not us.  The Catholic funeral is about the dead, while a protestant funeral is about the living left behind.  I know this, because for most of my life I was a protestant and have buried many protestant friends and relatives.  The “funerals” or “memorial services” (depending on which denomination is holding the ceremony) are based on people gathering to share and celebrate the life of the dead person.

The Archbishop Pendergast said,

“Whenever there’s anything about liturgy or church, despite the fact people don’t go to church, they have something to say about it. The policy of the universal Church is eulogies don’t belong at Mass.”

He went on to say…

“…many ideas from the outer culture had crept into funerals and how we honour the dead.

“If we spend all our time talking about them saying how wonderful they are and canonizing them as some people seem to do at funerals we don’t need to pray for them and I think that would be a great loss,” he said, noting how people misunderstand “the Eucharist as the sacrifice of Christ’s presence being offered for the deceased.”

 “The Mass is the supreme gift we can give to a person when they die,” the archbishop said, noting “the homily can make some references to the person’s life of faith,” and the archdiocese will allow a brief, approved three- or four-minute “words of remembrance” to be read by a friend or family member before the funeral Mass begins. Eulogies can be made at the wake, at a reception after the funeral in the parish hall or at graveside, the decree says.

The policy was necessary to “balance what had gotten out of hand,” the archbishop said. It took two years of work by the diocesan presbyteral council made up of priests with a wide range of experience and differing views on how to deal with grieving families, he said.”

The good Archbishop is absolutely correct!

The Catholic Church needs to stop protestantizing its funerals (among other things) and TEACH people WHY a Catholic funeral Mass is so different from other religion's funerals.  What makes our funeral Mass so special?  People need to know.  Sadly, many Catholics are ignorant of these things , we can tell by the things they say and do.

“When people say I’d rather have the eulogy than have Mass then you know we have lost the sense of Catholic life,” Prendergast said.

It’s important to say we pray for God’s mercy, to pray for mercy in God’s judgment, he said. We don’t take that mercy for granted.“I’m trying to preserve for people the richness of the Catholic Mass,” he said. “If we don’t do this now we will lose a great treasure. I don’t want their children or their children’s children not to have this.”

Well done Archbishop Pendergast, well done!

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

 Catholic Catechism1684    The Christian funeral is a liturgical celebration of the Church. The ministry of the Church in this instance aims at expressing efficacious communion with the deceased, at the participation in that communion of the community gathered for the funeral, and at the proclamation of eternal life to the community.
1685    The different funeral rites express the Paschal character of Christian death and are in keeping with the situations and traditions of each region, even as to the color of the liturgical vestments worn.¹⁸⁷1686    The Order of Christian Funerals (Ordo exsequiarum) of the Roman liturgy gives three types of funeral celebrations, corresponding to the three places in which they are conducted (the home, the church, and the cemetery), and according to the importance attached to them by the family, local customs, the culture, and popular piety. This order of celebration is common to all the liturgical traditions and comprises four principal elements:
1687    The greeting of the community. A greeting of faith begins the celebration. Relatives and friends of the deceased are welcomed with a word of “consolation” (in the New Testament sense of the Holy Spirit’s power in hope).¹⁸⁸ The community assembling in prayer also awaits the “words of eternal life.” The death of a member of the community (or the anniversary of a death, or the seventh or thirtieth day after death) is an event that should lead beyond the perspectives of “this world” and should draw the faithful into the true perspective of faith in the risen Christ.
1688    The liturgy of the Word during funerals demands very careful preparation because the assembly present for the funeral may include some faithful who rarely attend the liturgy, and friends of the deceased who are not Christians. The homily in particular must “avoid the literary genre of funeral eulogy”¹⁸⁹ and illumine the mystery of Christian death in the light of the risen Christ.
1689    The Eucharistic Sacrifice. When the celebration takes place in church, the Eucharist is the heart of the Paschal reality of Christian death.¹⁹⁰ In the Eucharist, the Church expresses her efficacious communion with the departed: offering to the Father in the Holy Spirit the sacrifice of the death and resurrection of Christ, she asks to purify his child of his sins and their consequences, and to admit him to the Paschal fullness of the table of the Kingdom.¹⁹¹ It is by the Eucharist thus celebrated that the community of the faithful, especially the family of the deceased, learn to live in communion with the one who “has fallen asleep in the Lord,” by communicating in the Body of Christ of which he is a living member and, then, by praying for him and with him. (1371, 958)
1690    A farewell to the deceased is his final “commendation to God” by the Church. It is “the last farewell by which the Christian community greets one of its members before his body is brought to its tomb.”¹⁹² The Byzantine tradition expresses this by the kiss of farewell to the deceased: (2300)
By this final greeting “we sing for his departure from this life and separation from us, but also because there is a communion and a reunion. For even dead, we are not at all separated from one another, because we all run the same course and we will find one another again in the same place. We shall never be separated, for we live for Christ, and now we are united with Christ as we go toward him... we shall all be together in Christ.”¹⁹³  

Link: http://www.catholicregister.org/news/canada/item/17703-ottawa-archbishop-decrees-no-eulogies-at-catholic-funerals

Link: http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/01/22/no-eulogies-for-catholic-funerals 

Catholic Murderer's funerals- or not

I’ve been watching the media coverage of the funeral (that never was) for former Nazi Erich Priebke. 

"ROME — Former Nazi SS captain Erich Priebke, who died on Friday aged 100, never understood why he was found responsible for a wartime massacre when all he had done was obey orders."The order came directly from Hitler in Berlin," he told the Italian military tribunal which staged his first trial in Rome in 1996. "Anyone who refused to obey would have been tried by the SS."Priebke was sentenced to life in prison in 1998 for his role in the massacre at Rome's Ardeatine caves in March 1944, which left 335 people dead, including 75 Jews." [source: HERE]

The Catholic Church formally and officially refused Priebke a Catholic funeral.  I’m OK with that.  It’s Canon Law (#1184) and I actually think the Church should go further in actually following Canon Law #1184- more on that later.  

Preibke (according to most sources, though not all) never repented of his role in the deaths of just over three hundred people.   About as close to any sort of remorse I could find is his comment [from the same source as above]:

"He later described the massacre as "a horrible thing, a personal tragedy" in a long letter written at the time of his failed appeal.But he stopped short of real remorse. "If I could have stopped this horror I would have. My death would not have allowed for those innocents to be saved," he wrote."

Preibke says he was “just following orders”. 

“…Berlin ordered the Rome SS chief Herbert Kappler to draw up a list of prisoners, Jews and Roman citizens to be arrested.Kappler delegated the task to Priebke, who drew up the list and checked off those who went to their deaths. Priebke later admitted killing two of them himself.”

So Priebke follows evil Nazi orders, makes a list that results in the death of hundreds of people and actually kills two of them himself.  He’s a murder.  He’s broken the Fifth Commandment…

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

 You shall not kill.⁵⁴You have heard that it was said to the men of old, "You shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment." But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.⁵⁵

2258 "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being."⁵⁶

And sadly he is an UNREPENTING murderer- according to sources anyway.

So why won’t the Catholic Church perform a funeral for an UNREPENTING murderer?  Because of Canon Law 1184

Can.  1184 §1. Unless they gave some signs of repentance before death, the following must be deprived of ecclesiastical funerals:1/ notorious apostates, heretics, and schismatics;2/ those who chose the cremation of their bodies for reasons contrary to Christian faith;3/ other manifest sinners who cannot be granted ecclesiastical funerals without public scandal of the faithful.§2. If any doubt occurs, the local ordinary is to be consulted, and his judgment must be followed.

Now there are more ways to be a "murderer" than actually committing the crime with your own hands.  If you voluntarily- yet indirectly cooperate with the murder of someone, that murder is on your hands.  Such is the case with abortion and helping someone have an abortion.

2268 The fifth commandment forbids direct and intentional killing as gravely sinful. The murderer and those who cooperate voluntarily in murder commit a sin that cries out to heaven for vengeance.⁶⁹Infanticide,⁷⁰ fratricide, parricide, and the murder of a spouse are especially grave crimes by reason of the natural bonds which they break. Concern for eugenics or public health cannot justify any murder, even if commanded by public authority.
2269 The fifth commandment forbids doing anything with the intention of indirectly bringing about a person's death. The moral law prohibits exposing someone to mortal danger without grave reason, as well as refusing assistance to a person in danger.
The acceptance by human society of murderous famines, without efforts to remedy them, is a scandalous injustice and a grave offense. Those whose usurious and avaricious dealings lead to the hunger and death of their brethren in the human family indirectly commit homicide, which is imputable to them.⁷¹Unintentional killing is not morally imputable. But one is not exonerated from grave offense if, without proportionate reasons, he has acted in a way that brings about someone's death, even without the intention to do so.
2272 Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. "A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae,"⁷⁷ "by the very commission of the offense,"⁷⁸ and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law.⁷⁹ The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

From most media reports, Preibke never repented or showed true remorse for the murders of hundreds of people aside from admitting it was a “horrible thing”. Presuming that is correct, he was RIGHTLY denied a Catholic funeral. 

That said, I find it sort of hypocritical that the Church doesn’t ALSO refuse funerals for pro-abortion supporters (public politicians specifically) when they die. They indirectly help in the slaughter of millions of children.  Murder is murder.  A beating heart is stopped by the abortionist.  A life ended. 

Now you might say "But you don't know if they repented just before death" and you would be right.  But the "sin of scandal" still holds.  The Church by providing a public funeral for such a person is a "cause for scandal among the faithful" (see Canon Law above).  It's causes confusion. To any non-Catholics or Catholics who don't know to "cause public scandal" is in itself a sin.  It must be confessed.  But that's an entirely different discussion for another time.

People who dedicate a good part of their "public service" life to ending the lives of others are indirect murderers.

Oh you know, folks like "Catholic" Senator Kennedy:

“On the question of the choice issue: I have supported the Roe v. Wade. I am pro-choice.” [Kennedy during debate with Romney]

Kennedy (like Pelosi and Biden today) supported the murder of MILLIONS of infants. He spent YEARS working FOR abortion.  He publicly rejected Church teaching and worked for abortionists to murder millions of children. 

Indirect murder is still murder.

These “Catholic” pro-choice politicians are either personally supporting abortion OR (as we often hear) “just doing what their constituents” want.  In other words, “just following orders” (like Priebke taking orders from his Nazi superiors) from other people (Kennedy from his voters).

Just "taking orders" doesn't mean you haven't directly or indirectly murdered someone.

So WHY does the Catholic Church SEEM to pick and choose which unrepenting MURDERERS to have funerals for and which ones to deny?  

It seems to me the “scandal” caused by the Church having a funeral for someone like Kennedy or Priebke is very different.  SOME Catholics were offended and even scandalized by Kennedy's Catholic funeral (myself included here), while other Catholics and the secular world CHEERED it. Calling it 'beautiful' and 'fitting' because Kennedy advocated for "so many Catholic issues like immigration reform" etc., completely ignoring the butchered little bodies of the infants his politics caused. 

While direct and indirect murderer Priebke is openly hated for his crimes in the secular world and among Catholics, all objected to his having a Catholic funeral and it was refused. 

Is it right to treat them differently according to the Catholic catechism on direct and indirect murder, abortion, or Canon Law?  Personally, I don't think so, but clearly those in the Church disagree, so perhaps I am wrong here.

In my opinion, IF Kennedy died without repenting (the public can only go by what we see and heard from him publicly) Kennedy WRONGLY got a funeral that looked like the Church was declaring him a Saint, while Priebke RIGHTLY is denied a Catholic funeral.  Should have been NO for both.

How about we say 'NO' to all of them?  

Saying "no" to all such unrepenting murderers would accomplish to very important things, 1) stop a scandal and 2) allow for teaching of Catholic doctrine on abortion.

People don't seem to understand INDIRECT murder.  Deny unrepenting pro-aborts Catholic funerals and TEACH the faith.

If the Church doesn't we are left to wonder why did the Church provide an amazing funeral mass with all Catholic “honors” to a man with the blood of MILLIONS of aborted babies on his hands, while denying the man with the blood of hundreds of innocent people on his hands?  Both were murderers (directly or indirectly).

One difference, is one man had influence, money and power in the United States.  Other did not.  Is that what we are think?  I honestly don't know, but I have heard others say that is why Kennedy was "allowed" so much from the Church.  There could be another reason, so no one should 100% presume to know the full truth- after all, we only have what we see and hear publicly to go on. The key is REPENTING.  Did the Nazi murderer repent?  Most sources say no, but one source I found seems to lean to a different conclusion...

In a statement, the society [schismatic Society of St. Pius X  ] said it agreed to perform the funeral at the family's request because "no matter what the guilt or sins" anyone who dies reconciled with God and the Church "has the right to celebrate Mass and a funeral."

Did he repent before his death?  I don't know.  Does any of us know for sure?
We (the general public) have decided that the former Nazi must not have repented so does not deserve a Catholic funeral, while just a few years ago many held a very different view for the funeral of an indirect murderer that we also had no idea if he ever repented.  But we judged one as unrepentant and the other as repentant or not in need of repenting because he was so well liked in secular society.

Now I have to point out here NO ONE but Kennedy's priests know if he decided to repent at the end of his life.  If he did, WONDERFUL.  If he did, he deserved the full Catholic funeral.  And perhaps he did, I hope for his sake that he DID repent before his death.  But even if he repented and "deserved" a Catholic funeral, the SCANDAL it caused among the Catholic faithful might not have been worth it.

But if he didn't... if he died as he lived supporting abortion... than he was an indirect murderer.

An unrepenting murderer is an unrepenting murderer. 

Acts 10:34

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

 ³⁴ And Peter opening his mouth, said: In very deed I perceive, that God is not a respecter of persons.

According to God, we are all one and the same, none above the other.  Equal. The Church should treat us that way in life and in death.  If that's how God see us, why can't Christ's Church do the same?

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

Links:  http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jxAH_dDYfg686u51xLYVXWjpeIWw?docId=5ac41b7b-9b40-401a-99cb-0a8027135aa1

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/10/16/planned-funeral-for-nazi-war-ciminal-called-off-by-lawyer-due-to-protests/

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a5.htm

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/multimedia/2012/september/democratic-convention-speeches-tuesday.aspx

Canon Law: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4C.HTM

Scandal: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13506d.htm

Rest In Peace Heath Ledger

Most of us have heard about the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. This is the "church" (and I use that word reluctantly) that protests U.S. soldiers funerals, homosexuals and holds signs telling others who they think God hates. This "church" that was founded by Fred Phelps is now planning to protest the actor Heath Ledger's funeral because he once played a gay man in a movie. Shirley Phelps-Roper the daughter of Fred Phelps, has taken issue with the deceased Mr. Ledger because he played an acting role she didn't approve of. For this, the actor's mourning friends and family will have to suffer if the Phelps group can find out where the funeral is to be held. So far, the funeral plans have been kept private as the family wishes. I hope it remains so.
No one and I mean no one, should have to deal with protesting at a funeral. A funeral is a time of mourning and loss and suffering for those grieving the deceased loved one. It's a time of prayer and a time worshiping God while saying goodbye to a loved one.
I find it highly despicable and vile that a group that calls themselves "Christians" would lower themselves to such a vile and disrespectful act as protesting a funeral. If these people truly wished to portray Christianity they should pray for the deceased and those mourning him. Common decency and compassion for a suffering human being is what is needed. Apparently these protesters lack these basic human qualities. I think we all need to pray for the members of the Westboro Baptist Church. And pray that they are unable to protest any more funerals in the future. May Heath Ledger rest in peace and may he be mourned and buried in peace.