God & Country

Quote of the Week: A Catholic Priest With Ted Kennedy

August 27, 2009 RSS Feed Print

By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country

I'm launching a new quote-of-the-week feature on the blog today. Let me know when you come upon quotes worth featuring in this slot.

"The truth is, he expressed to his family that he did want to go. He did want to go to heaven. He was ready to go. There was a certain amount of peace, actually—in the family get-together last night. I couldn't help but think that the world doesn't know that part of Kennedy at all."

— The Rev. Patrick Tarrant on his final hours with Sen. Ted Kennedy. View an interview with Tarrant here.

See photos of Ted Kennedy throughout his life.
Follow Dan Gilgoff on Twitter.
Read more about religion.

Tags:: Ted Kennedy,; Catholic Church,; religion

« Previous Post Next Post »

Reader Comments Read all comments (8)

Add Your Thoughts Comment Name State Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

Why is Ted Kennedy so revered? I don’t write this to be judgmental but to expose the hypocrisy of it all. In 1969 he drove his car off of a bridge after leaving a party – leaving his passenger to die and then called the police ten hours later so they could fish her corpse out of the water in the submerged car. What would a normal person be charged with? Aggravated man slaughter? DUI? No, in their hypnotic love affair with this guy he got probation for leaving the scene of an accident. He served no jail time. A year later he celebrated his re-election to the Senate with 62% of the vote.
But wait there’s more. He rarely passed up an opportunity to cheat on his wife. He had sex in public places and sexually harassed women. Abused a lot of drugs and alcohol. Then he voted against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas amid some weak allegations that Thomas had harassed a woman. What the hell? Kennedy would continue to receive endorsements by The National Organization for Women – the same organization that remained consistently silent when Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey and a dozen others made news
He was expelled from college for cheating on an exam and then drafted into the Army. His father used political connections to keep him out of combat during the Korean War. He was discharged a Private First Class two years later.
He claimed to be Roman Catholic but was an advocate for gay rights, the teaching of evolution in school and was pro-choice regarding abortion – some Catholic.
These are some of his flaws. Why was he liked? He was a consistent liberal vote in the Senate and his last name was Kennedy. There have been other staunch liberals with less popularity. His older brother President John F. Kennedy was probably the most conservative Democrat President in modern times. So why people like the Kennedy family for name sake alone is illogical. I might understand it if the people who liked the Kennedys personally knew them. JFK and Ted were pretty much opposites on policy matters.

Ken Williams of VA 9:50PM August 28, 2009

How sad that others judge a man strictly by his decision to let people make their own choice regarding abortion. Pro choice is misunderstood, and if you take this man's life, and his devotion to the poor, it is easy to see he was a good man. Being pro-choice does not mean one personally believes in abortion.
My first vote was for his brother John, and I saw Teddy grow up. Yes, he made some big mistakes, but the man finally gave up alcohol, and with that, became the most important man in Washington.
He personally contacted every family in Massachusetts who was affected by 9/11 - and kept in touch with them, seeing that they were OK.
I am now 70 years old, and like Ted Kennedy have gone through many stages of my life, but my life will never have the legacy of this man - he was a doer, he cared, he was brilliant, and never stopped working until he took his last breath. His family, all those children and grandchildren of his deceased brothers, whom he became "father" for will dearly miss him
God rest Teddy Kennedy -

Patricia of CA 11:27AM August 28, 2009

God has already judged his immortal soul; our efforts at that are futile. Let's not stop praying for him and all the others who are Catholic or not, alive or dead, that promote, procure, or practice abortion.
U.S. deaths from abortion are estimated at 45 million babies since the passage of Roe v. Wade. Doesn't that look like genocide? The "deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group", almost always fostered by an out of control government...in America's case, an unprincipaled Supreme Court.
The pyschological and physical harm done to the mothers is impossible to know or quantify. We do know some have died, or otherwise been rendered incapable of having another baby, also ,from the effects of abortion. There is a growing group called "I Regret My Abortion".
Many of these children would be paying into social security and would now be loving, responsible, productive citizens.

ellen Simoni of FL 10:28AM August 28, 2009

Quote of the Week: A Catholic Priest With Ted Kennedy

Related Articles

Reader Comments Read all comments (8)

God & Country

Is increasing access to healthcare a moral or faith-based cause?

BLOG ROLL

SPECIAL REPORTS

Photos »

The White House »

Political Cartoons »

2012 Election »

Congress »