Contra Encomia

Connie Marshner   

“The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.”So says Marc Antony at the funeral of Julius Caesar.

 

He was describing reality, not necessarily advocating that reality. Why, then, do Catholic obituary writers try to reverse that reality?

 

The current spate of encomia in honor of the late Reverend Honorable Robert A. Drinan, S.J., proves that at least some pious traditions die hard, namely the one to “not speak ill of the dead.”

 

The evil that Drinan did does live after him. Speeches advocating free abortion, votes cast in favor of abortion – these have effects that outlive the man. I remember a debate I had with him on C-SPAN, where we wangled back and forth for what seemed like forever until he, sitting there in his Roman collar, finally admitted he favored abortion. (At least, that’s my recollection of how it went – such would be consistent with his votes). 

 

If there’s something in Scripture that commands us not to mention the wrongdoing of those deceased, somebody please direct me to the passage. 

 

I can understand why if a parent of young children were to die, we would bite our tongues so as to ensure that the impressionable youths heard good things about their fundamental role model. 

 

But Fr. Drinan is no role model – at least, he shouldn’t be. Yes, he was a priest. Graham Greene knew that was no guarantee of exemplary behavior. 

 

Why should we now have to pretend to forget that what Drinan argued for, what he voted for, what he taught, was contrary to the church, contrary to human nature, and outright disobedient dissent?