Who’s the Boss Tony? Here’s a hint…. Its Not You!
It could have been a funeral-home scene out of a “Sopranos” episode. At the wake for crime author Philip Carlo, Tony Danza angrily interrupted the priest, claiming he was talking too much about God and not enough about the best-selling biographer of mass murderers, including Richard Kuklinski and Richard Ramirez, during his eulogy.
A source at Thursday’s wake at Peter C. La Bella Funeral Home in Bensonhurst said the priest — “who said he was a substitute priest from a federal prison, which made some people smirk — started to ramble on and on about religion, quoting the Bible and making mourners uncomfortable.
“Tony, who was one of Carlo’s closest friends, walked right up to the priest and said angrily, ‘Excuse me, but this is not about you. It’s supposed to be about my friend, and if you can’t do that, maybe you should let someone else speak!’
“People were stunned, while the priest was visibly shaken. He tried talking about Carlo before quickly wrapping things up. Danza took over and eulogized Carlo with memories from their younger days.
“When someone then heckled Tony, he said, ‘Will you give me a break? Will you stop and let me talk?’ “
All that talk about God at a wake made mourners uncomfortable? Good!
According to Wiki, Danza is “a Roman Catholic and parishioner at St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, Danza is also an Ordained Minister with the Universal Life Church. He performed a marriage on his talk show.”
The Universal Life Church is an online church that advertises that anyone can become a minister.
But on the upside, more people watched Tony at the wake then watched his ill fated talk show.
November 17, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Some folks don't want to hear the Truth. Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell. They would rather hear 'celebrations of life' and 'we all go to Heaven'. Souls are in mortal peril.
(Please, Everyone, eulogies are not part of the Funeral Liturgy.)
November 17, 2010 at 11:11 pm
Tony Danza is a direct relative (great grand-nephew, I belive) of St. Padre Pio (I saw him mention it live on Regis&Kelly). But he has become a typical Hollywood liberal. I've seen him say that Condi Rice deserved to be degraded in a cartoon because she'a a conservative, and complain that President Bush would only put people into his administration who were "against Roe v. Wade" (not true–his own wife is pro-choice). Danza's actions at this funeral, and his "ordination", only show how far he's fallen from the lovable Tony Micelli. Sad how money and fame change people.
November 17, 2010 at 11:58 pm
God and Tony Danza are both Idiots! I don't know many who are stupid enough to listen to them.
March 10, 2024 at 2:55 pm
You will regret the disrespectful words you said against the ALMIGHTY GOD
November 18, 2010 at 3:01 am
Fr. Hector R.G. Perez, thank you for that clarification.
November 18, 2010 at 3:33 am
With all due respect to Father Perez, he is wrong. Being baptized alone does not make you Catholic unless you are under the age of reason. You must also hold the Catholic Faith if you of reason. A Baptized person is always Baptized, and therefore always belongs to the Church in a certain sense unless he is excommunicated, but that does not itself make him Catholic. He must also hold the Catholic Faith.
"Catholics" who deny dogmas do not hold the Catholic Faith, and they are not "fallen away Catholics;" they're just not Catholic period. There is no juridical or theological concept of "fallen away Catholic." You're either Catholic or you're not. Heretics are not Catholic. This is the plain teaching of Trent, Saint Robert Bellarmine, et al.
November 18, 2010 at 4:52 am
I grow so weary of commentary about "good" Catholics, "bad" Catholics, "fallen away" Catholics, "cafeteria/cultural" Catholics, etc. etc. etc.
It really boils down to this: There are those who are loyal to the Magisterium and those who are not.
'Nuf said.
November 18, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Mr. Tomaszewski,
A fallen away Catholic does not have to be re-Baptized. He is still, in essence, a Catholic. This is both dogmatic Sacramental Theology and Canon Law. I recall there was some controversy in the early Church about that…St. Pontian and St. Hyppolitus, among others…
God bless you!
November 19, 2010 at 10:15 am
He's in mourning. Give him a break.
Not that I condone is interruption, but the priest should have kept it short and sweet and then asked for others to speak about the deceased. It stinks when they don't know the person.
November 19, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I may have used the wrong word, but at every funeral I have attended the priest will say some words about the deceased during the homily. My point is still valid. The words the priest says are more personal if he knew the person.
November 22, 2010 at 1:07 pm
One can, and should, relate the deceased and his mourning family to the reality of death and the Last Things of the afterlife. And I agree, it is most difficult and unpleasant to preach at a funeral when one did not know the deceased at all. But that is our job too, sometimes. When we get lemons, we need to ake the best lemonade possible !