At funeral Mass, Justice Scalia eulogized as a man of faith as well as law

Luke Skywalker · Feb 20, 2016

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[h=4]At funeral Mass, Justice Scalia eulogized as a man of faith as well as law[/h]Supreme Court justice's funeral held at largest Roman Catholic church in North America

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Justice Antonin Scalia's casket arrives at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception as thousands of mourners attend his funeral mass. VPC

Justice Clarence Thomas delivers a reading during the funeral Mass for Associate Justice Antonin Scalia at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Saturday. Scalia, who died February 13 while on a hunting trip in Texas, layed in repose in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court on Friday and his funeral service will be at the basilica today.(Photo: Doug Mills, New York Times, via Getty Images (Pool photo))

WASHINGTON —*Forever combative about the law, the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was remembered*Saturday as a man whose deeply held religious faith brought*him peace.
Rather than a star-studded funeral service featuring judges and politicians, Scalia's sendoff at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception —*the largest Roman Catholic church in North America —*was a traditional Mass of Christian Burial befitting a true believer.
It also was a family affair, presided over by Scalia's son Paul, episcopal vicar for clergy of the Diocese of Arlington, Va., and attended by the justice's wife of 55 years, Maureen, eight other children and most if not all of their 36 grandchildren. About 100 of Scalia's former law clerks joined the eight surviving and two retired justices, along with other*members of his jurisprudential family.
From the moment Scalia's casket, covered by a white-and-gold pall, led a procession to the altar during the opening hymn, the 90-minute service was stamped as religious, not political. In attendance were*Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., Archbishop*Carlo Maria Viganò, the Vatican's ambassador to the United States and Pope Francis' personal representative, and scores of other bishops and priests -- "in keeping with your desire to have a simple parish family Mass," Wuerl said to laughter.
"Thank you also for allowing us to have this parish funeral Mass here in this basilica*dedicated to Our Lady,"*Rev. Scalia responded. The church, dedicated to Mary, is a pilgrimage site where Pope Francis celebrated the canonization Mass for St. Junipero Serra last year — the first-ever such Mass on American soil.
In his homily, Rev. Scalia*subtly acknowledged his father's controversial*legacy on the Supreme Court.*"We are gathered here because of one man -- a*man known personally to many of us, known only by reputation to even more.*A man loved by many, scorned by others. A man known*for great*controversy*and for great compassion," he said.
"That man, of course, is Jesus of Nazareth."
Catholic funeral Masses do*not allow for eulogies by laypeople, and no such tributes were on the program. Instead, Rev. Scalia used his sermon to speak*of his father's legacy*—*as a man of faith and family, if not the law*— and also of his uncompromising temperament that became an essential*part of his public image.
"God blessed Dad with a deep Catholic faith: The conviction that Christ's presence and power continue*in the world today through His body, the Church. He loved the clarity and coherence of the church's teachings. He treasured the church's ceremonies,*especially the beauty*of her ancient worship; he trusted the power of her sacraments*as the means of salvation,"*Rev. Scalia said.
One of those sacraments is confession, and*Rev. Scalia told the story of the time his father somehow found himself in his priest son's confessional line one Saturday and quickly left. "As he put it later, 'Like heck if I'm confessing to you!'" Rev. Scalia said.
"The feeling was mutual," he added, noting that "the Roman collar was not a shield against his criticism."
Justice Clarence Thomas, Scalia's closest ally on the bench, and Leonard Leo, executive vice president of the conservative Federalist Society, recited*scripture readings.
After the Mass, family pallbearers carried his casket along a cordon of priests and saluting Supreme Court police officers,*back to a hearse for*a private burial. A separate, more secular memorial service for family and friends will be held March 1 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, the Scalia family said Saturday.
Thousands of Scalia's devoted fans -—*his expansive family, current and former Supreme Court justices, nearly 100 former law clerks and guests, including Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill — filled the medieval-style church for the funeral Mass on a cloudy, breezy, warm winter day. All the current Supreme Court justices attended, along with former justices John Paul Stevens and David Souter,*sitting on folding chairs in front of the first pew.
Among the many judges in attendance was Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, perhaps the leading candidate among many President*Obama may nominate for Scalia's seat.*Also seen entering the Basilica: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican presidential candidate, and former Vice President Dick Cheney.

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The late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was remembered as a man whose deeply held religious faith brought him peace in a eulogy delivered by his son Rev. Paul Scalia at the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington. USA TODAY

"He wanted a simple pastoral mass. This was close to it," said Theodore*Olson, a former U.S. solicitor general and conservative legal scholar,*with a laugh.
On Friday, more than 6,000 people paid their respects as Scalia's body lay in repose at the Great Hall of the Supreme Court. The building remained open to allow everyone in line to get in.
USA TODAY
Supreme Court family pays respects to Justice Antonin Scalia

The court's longest-serving justice was a month shy of his 80th birthday when he was found dead last Saturday during a visit to a West Texas ranch. His death has touched off a harsh debate between the White House and Senate Republicans over Obama's right to nominate a successor in the waning days of his presidency and the Senate's right to ignore or defeat that*nominee.
That battle will resume following Scalia's public funeral and private burial today.*The president, who paid respects Friday as the late justice lay in repose in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court, later was seen carrying a binder with information about potential nominees for weekend reading. Sunday's weekly news shows will reignite the debate amid talk of the South Carolina and Nevada presidential primaries.
For Scalia's*extended family and followers, however, Saturday loomed as a day to say goodbye to the man who was for many*the leader among conservative legal scholars. His defense of originalism (that is,*reading the Constitution literally, not expansively) and textualism (reading government statutes the same way) changed the way cases were debated and, in some cases at least, won or lost.
The 79-year-old justice also will be remembered as one of the most gifted writers in the court's history*and a fierce debater from the bench who changed the nature of oral arguments. His many lectures, speeches and interviews helped to educate and energize younger generations of*conservative legal thinkers who will carry on his legacy.
"He was brilliant. He never felt you were there to invent law from the bench, you were there to interpret. He was full of life and vigor. He lived life to the fullest," said Dirk Kempthorne, who was sworn in by Scalia as secretary of the Interior in 2006. "What a wonderful, delightful man. He was the epitome of life and did not take himself too seriously."
"It was a very beautiful service, and I think he would have been pleased," said Republican former senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. "It was about the things he cared about most, his faith and his family. The emphasis was not on his time on the court or his impact on the country, but how his faith and his family shaped all those things we all know and celebrate about his life."
USA TODAY
Antonin Scalia: Will his conservative legacy live on?

Contributing: Christopher*Doering.
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At funeral Mass, Justice Scalia eulogized as a man of faith as well as law

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