Mob boss denied funeral Mass

Here's an interesting article I found today that I thought was pretty interesting. What is more ethical: to deny the burial rights of Catholicism to a practicing (though, I imagine that term is used extremely lightly) because of a life of crime or to celebrate the life of a murder through the church?

Such is the conflict behind the Gotti family's dispute with the Catholic Church over the rejected burial Mass of mob boss, John Gotti. Here is the story:

http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/Catholic/2002/06/Gotti-Denied-Catholic-Funeral-Mass.aspx

In many of the short stories that we've read, the main character is not always the most likable character, yet we often find ourselves empathizing with them.

• Should there be any sympathy towards Gotti or his family?
• What kinds of ethical values conflict when reading this story?
• How would you resolve it?