Church funerals for the notorious
Today's New York Times carries a news story (click on this post's title) about a Catholic funeral Mass in Tucson for Salvatore "Bill" Bonnano, former second-in-command of the Bonnano mob family in New York.Unfortunately, one of the deceased's sons noted at the Mass that “He swore his oath and he never questioned it, he never complained about it.”
So what was Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas thinking when he allowed this funeral Mass?
But this reminds Angelenos who have a long memory of another Catholic funeral and burial here in L.A., that of Dr. James McMahon, in 1995. McMahon was an abortionist of late-term babies, called himself the inventor of partial-birth abortion and never publicly repented, before he died of a brain aneurysm. Now he is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery.
So what was Cardinal Roger Mahony thinking when he allowed those services?
And who has incurred the most guilt, a crime family member or a serial abortionist of late-term babies?
(The photo above is from today's New York Times.)
posted by Quintero at 12:17 PM
5 Comments:
Who knows what they were thinking (if they were). I hope there was at least a private repentence. (Although I doubt this is the case)
Good point. Of course we'll never know the state of mind of a person at the hour of their death, but some in some cases the preponderance of the evidence would indicate that the person remained unrepentant. The reputation of the Church is so tarnished these days (especially by the actions of the US bishops) that something like refusing a funeral mass for persons of this type might be a "shot across the bow" of those clerics who continue to degrade the faith by diluting tradition and orthodoxy.
Dear Joe of St. Therese,
Yes, let's hope the deceased were thinking and praying on their deathbeds, had family and others praying for them and had family and clergy with them.
...Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!
Dear Anonymous 6:40 a.m.,
That's a good point you make, that a courageous action by one bishop can be a shot across the bow of those who dilute and oppose Catholic tradition.
May that happen more often!
RS 78: It is not permissible to link the celebration of Mass to political or secular events, nor to situations that are not fully consistent with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Furthermore, it is altogether to be avoided that the celebration of Mass should be carried out merely out of a desire for show, or in the manner of other ceremonies including profane ones, lest the Eucharist should be emptied of its authentic meaning.
If there was not final repentence, I don't think that it would suit well with the Vatican.
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