When President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated Nov. 22, 1963, his widow, Jacqueline, asked Archbishop Philip Hannan to deliver the eulogy because of his close personal relationship with the president, which dated back to the 1940s.
Then-Father Hannan became friends with Kennedy by smoothing over a misunderstanding that Kennedy had with a Jesuit priest.
He also officiated at a quiet reburial of two Kennedy infants in 1964 so their bodies could be near their father's in Arlington National Cemetery.
Link (here)
3 comments:
Likely the Jesuit with whom JFK had a "misunderstanding", given that JFK lived in Georgetown, close to the University, was Fr. Edmund Walsh, S.J., the Founding Dean of the School of Foreign Service. Fr. Walsh was a close friend of Senator Joseph McCarthy, with whom JFK served in the Congress. I would not be shocked if Fr. Walsh tried to steer JFK to many of the same view of Senator Joseph McCarthy at the time.
Awesome insight!
Fr. Walsh was also from Boston, so would have had that bond with JFK, though of course, Fr. Walsh had been at Georgetown for many decades before JFK arrived at Georgetown.
I also note that Senator McCarthy did not campaign for Henry Cabot Lodge (thus against JFK) in the Senate election of 1952, when McCarthy was at the height of his popularity, and, due to health reasons, JFK was not present in the Senate to vote for or against the censure of McCarthy.
Post a Comment