The funeral Mass of Sen. Edward Kennedy Aug. 29 drew swift and not unexpected outrage from some within the Catholic community. The controversy centered on the late senator’s staunchly pro-choice efforts while in political office, as well as other aspects of the senator’s highly public life.

The fact that there was a Catholic funeral at all was insult enough to some; add to that the participation of prominent Church leaders, including the archbishop of Boston, drove a few critics to describe the funeral as a scandal to the Church (capable of leading others to evil). Some have even gone so far as to imply that the presence of Church leaders was driven by greed and ambition.

Last week, Church leaders responded to some of these charges, providing canonical citations that clearly support the funeral of the late Catholic senator. The opinions advanced were that canon law provides for the chance of repentance, that instances in which Catholics should be denied the assistance of the Sacraments are rare and difficult to ascertain, and that the purpose of the funeral is to pray for the repose of the deceased person’s soul.

But perhaps the most compelling response came from Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, whose participation in the Mass has been the greatest focus of controversy. In his mid-week blog posted to the Archdiocese of Boston’s website, Cardinal O’Malley wrote, “The Holy Father’s expression of gratitude for the senator’s pledge of prayer for the Church, his commendation of the senator and his family to the intercession of the Blessed Mother, and his imparting the apostolic blessing, spoke of His Holiness’ role as the vicar of Christ, the good shepherd who leaves none of the flock behind.

“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.”

Recalling the words of Helen Alvare, whom the cardinal describes as one of our most outstanding prolife jurists, Cardinal O’Malley wrote: “(She) has always said that the prolife movement is best characterized by what it is for, not against. We are for the precious gift of life, and our task is to build a civilization of love.

We must show those who do not share our belief about life that we care about them. We will stop the practice of abortion by changing the law, and we will be successful in changing the law if we change people’s hearts. We will not change hearts by turning away from people in their time of need and when they are experiencing grief and loss.”

In essence, it’s difficult to see the Gospel message from the polarized view of the world that seems to be growing stronger every day. Cardinal O’Malley didn’t flinch from demonstrating through his own actions what we are called to do for one another.

Not only have his words explained his involvement in the Kennedy funeral, they have given all of us a way forward as we work together to preserve and respect human life and help to build the Kingdom of God.

To read the full text of Cardinal O’Malley’s blog, go to www.cardinalseansblog.org.

Some information used in this editorial was provided by Catholic News Service.