I could be wrong but I thought dead Ted got excommunicated.
Damn. Now I gotta go look it up.
Far as I know he did get excommunicated but, like The Nephew of his, or was it SON who divorced their wife and then wanted a Catholic wedding for new wife caused an uproar as the church had to find a way to make the first wedding illegal.
The parents had, had a Catholic wedding, all children Baptised in the Church 20+ years of marriage and now the New woman wanted it to all go away so she could have a wedding in the Church. She insisted her mans first wedding was a sham so she and her man could marry as non wed before.
Hell of a mess, the Kennedy's gave big time money to the Church, but so did She and her family.
Big fight over this, wife and children would now be pushed aside, his children considered bastards in the Church and not able to take communion.
We in the north of Boston watched this unfold bit by bit ---but this as we were working at the time had to get information as it came out in bits and pieces.
This went all the way to the Pope in Rome as the Ex wife fought for her children's place in the Church. After 20+ years of marriage no way would she allow her children become illegitimate or Bastards in the Church.
Big, Big time money had to have changed hands, lots of new exceptions and there fores to finally get the result wanted. The Marriage was annulled, But the children were considered legitimate, and had their place in the church.
Their father could now marry in the church with his new woman ------Yippie. How long did that marriage last??
Interesting when Ted died the Pope sent a letter to be read at his funeral, as I watched the funeral on TV, I still to this day do not know what on earth the POPE was speaking of.