Sen. Ted Kennedy's sad -- yet inspiring! -- farewell letter to Pope Benedict XVI.

Give Ted credit:

Dying, he no longer had any illusions as to who and what he really was.

And that, is a good lesson for us all...


A snippet or two from the Jesuit magazine America. September 14 - 21, 2009.

"Kennedy wrote, I have always tried to be a faithful Catholic, Your Holiness, and though I have fallen short through human failings, I have never failed to believe and respect the fundamental teachings. I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith, I have tried to right my path.

As the magazine's editors point out, "Kennedy's life, in public as well as in private was a mix of light and shadow.

"His heroic defense of civil rights was accompanied by his tragic support for abortion virtually on demand [and] was followed by moral and political disaster at Chappaquiddick and, later, in Palm Beach.

"It was obvious that he knew something of sin and suffering.

"In the end it seemed he had also learned something about redemption.

"Ted Kennedy had a complicated relationship with his church.

"The Sermon on the Mount and the church's social teaching inspired his public life.

"Until his death, however, he remained at odds with the some of those very teachings..."