Cardinal O’Malley posted a blog entry September 2nd “explaining” his involvement in the Kennedy funeral. It begs the question. People were not so much concerned about his presence, but about a public showcase funeral being allowed for a man who “obstinately persist[ed] in manifest grave sin” (Canon 915) who never publicly repented. With help from a prince of the Church, Ted Kennedy was allowed to scandalize to the end. Sadly, Cardinal O’Malley shifted the argument to an ad hominem attack on those who criticized the event. At times, even in the Church, zeal can lead people to issue harsh judgments and impute the worst motives to one another. These attitudes and practices do irreparable damage to the communion of the Church. If any cause is motivated by judgment, anger or vindictiveness, it will be doomed to marginalization and failure.