Cardinal: Pope ‘is in a very bad way’

[MaineDem]

Top Vatican official says faithful should pray for pontiff

BERLIN, Sept. 30 — Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the head of the Vatican body which oversees doctrinal matters, was quoted on Tuesday as saying Pope John Paul was in very poor health and the faithful should pray for him.

“HE IS IN a very bad way,” Ratzinger told Germany’s Bunte magazine in an interview. “We should pray for the pope.”

Ratzinger, who heads the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, told the magazine that the 83-year-old pope had taken on too much, but he was unable to stop him.


http://www.msnbc.com/news/973011.asp?vts=093020030720

[AntiCoup2K4]

1. Heads up for Celebrity Friday!

No offense to JP or Catholics, but it wouldn't exactly be a shock. The old guy's been sick for years.

[AP]

2. I'm praying the next pope is a Latino who cares about the poor.

That would be really good.

[whirlygigspin]

3. Clark for pope!

he'd look soooooo good in those robes.

-sarcasm off-

[ElsewheresDaughter]

6. AP there's talk among the faithful...that Ratzinger,will be the next Pope

just what i've gleamed

[Maeve]

10. He who goes into the conclave a pope, emerges a Cardinal.

Old Italian saying.

[revcarol]

33. I hope not. That would set back the church one hundred years.

Oh, for the days of Pope John Paul...

[Dookus]

35. Huh?

If you mean John Paul I, he served about 30 days. Don't think he accomplished much.

[Maeve]

4. I hesitate to bring this up, but...

John Paul announced this weekend that he was creating 30 (31, if you count the "secret" one) new cardinals, to receive their hats @ October 25th. If he dies before that, would they get to vote?

[Padraig18]

5. Good question

I don't know, darlin'.

[pippin]

8. Unlike Pope Pius

who tacitly abetted the Nazis during World War II, as a young priest the present pope (real name Karol Wojtyla ) was part of the Polish resistance during world war II. He is an ardent supporter of the solidarity movement and was certainly opposed to the war in Iraq--more than can be said for some other clergy in the US who slavishly folow the Bush trail. I am not a Catholic but I think he is fundamentally a good man.

[noonwitch]

11. He's been a good pope

I'm not a catholic, either, so I can overlook his views on female clergy, birth control, etc.
He's been the pope since I was a kid. He always tried to negotiate for peace and justice in international situations, and he travelled more than most popes did. He didn't just make his rulings from the Vatican without ever going out to see the people they would affect. The church will have a tough time finding someone to fill his shoes (or is it his hat?).

[arwalden]

18. Sorry... Can't Agree With You There...

You'll find a lot of gays and lesbians who think the same thing I do. You'll find a lot of molested little boys who feel the same way too.

-- Allen

P.S. I understand the sentiment behind what you're trying to say.

[demdave]

19. Gay pedophile priests don't like the Pope?

[Minstrel Boy]

21. That's a vile misrepresentation

The Pope has been one of the predators greatest protectors.

It's gay and lesbian Catholics, and the children abused by his clergy, who have been poorly served by him.

[demdave]

22. So gay pedophile priests DO like this Pope ?

Boy, I guess I was 180 off on that, huh?

[Liberator_Rev]

31. To put meat on those bones, Ministrel Boy. . .

An article by ABC news has reported that
"Powerful Cardinal in Vatican Accused of Sexual Abuse Cover-Up
By Brian Ross
April 26 , 2002
A trusted ally of Pope John Paul II has been accused of sexually abusing boys a half-century ago at an elite seminary for the Catholic Church.
The alleged victims say the Vatican knew of the allegations against Father Maciel and chose not to pursue them. In fact, the pope has continued to praise 82-year-old Maciel, a Mexico native, as an effective leader of Catholic youth, despite detailed allegations sent to the Vatican four years ago saying the man was also a long-time pedophile."

[Padraig18]

24. Speaking as a Catholic

The love that the VAST majority of Roman Catholics worldwide have for John Paul II is both genuine and deep; the admiration and respect in which we hold him will make his death a crushing blow.

He has fought since his teenage years for freedom and justice for ALL men, first against the Nazis, then against the Communists and ALWAYS for the ordinary people who comprise this world. He is a man, which all too many forget, and like all mortals, he has his faults and weaknesses. "Judge not, lest you yourself be judged."

He and Nelson Mandela are the two people I most admire in this world, and I shall weep bitterly at both their deaths. He is the only Pope I have ever known. May God watch over him and comfort him, now and forever more.

[donco6]

28. I won't miss him.

I think he's been very bad for the church in general. It's way more oppressive than I remember as a kid.

[davidinalameda]

29. it would be to fill

the Popemobile

[hippiechick]

7. I'm confused ....

Why pray for the Pope when he's already closer to heaven than the rest of us & therefore should have no problems getting thru the Pearly Gates ?

Or are we supposed to pray for his recovery, even though he's obviously not going to recover from old age and Parkinson's ?


:wtf: ??



:hippie:

[Maeve]

9. For his recovery to health or an easy transition

That he may be at peace with God and suffer no more than necessary.

And just because he's Pope doesn't mean he's closer to heaven, tho it would be nice if that were true.

[piece sine]

17. hands down...

this Pope is most admired man in the world. Although I am not in that number, I can see with my own eyes how much others love him, not necessarily in the United States but in many, many other nations.

[Nottingham]

12. My prayers go tohim!

He did stand up against the War in Iraq!! I was proud of him at this point!! :bounce:

[FlaGranny]

13. I have certainly respected him.

I don't agree with some things he believes and stands for, but I've always believed he was a good man. I've known for some time that he was not too much longer for this world. He's been fragile for some years now.

I wonder at his supposed statement that he worried he would not live long enough to help fight the "anti-Christ." I also wonder if those Cardinals can choose another pope as good as this one - not that he is perfect.

[pfitz59]

14. Next Pope will be Opus Dei front man!

Watch for a hard right in Catholic doctrine. Can anyone say "Vatican III"?

[jenm]

36. Well duh

I was just gonna say, I don't think Mel Gibson would be among those who deem the guy a good man.

[w4rma]

15. I hope Pope John Paul beats this and sticks around a few more years.

He's a good man whom I dearly respect.

Regardless, I hope he's wisely chosen the folks who will appoint his successor.

[AlabamaYankee]

16. It seems to me the Pope is a split verdict

In matters of peace and justice he is one of the guiding lights of the age: strongly opposed to the death penalty, reaching out to the poor and condemning invasions and aggression.

As far as enforcing "Catholic Doctrine", however, he and the Cardinals he has appointed seem to be moving the Church rapidly toward the 15th Century. The most recent advisory to limit the participation of women in the liturgy is a baffling case in point. If that trend continues under a new Pope - and there's no reason to think it won't - the Church will very soon be in serious trouble. In the extreme case it could lead to a schism with the American church, or simply a massive drop off in membership.

[Liberator_Rev]

32. "moving the Church rapidly toward the 15th Century"

You've got THAT right, A Y!

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. Maybe I'm just superstitous

But I've had a bad feeling for a long time that when this pope dies, all hell would break loose. If the next Pope is Opus Dei, then I'm heading for the hills.

[mumon]

23. John Paul II may be close to death

But he's still the life of the party!

[Padraig18]

25. He *is* close to death

At Mass this morning, we were specifically asked to pray for his health, a request I have never heard in my 20 years as a Catholic.

He's old, he's mortally ill, and I shall pray that his end comes mercifully. :(

[musiclawyer]

26. Well, it's his time now

But I think it was not well served. Yeah , yeah, he did all the things he's supposed to do. But I think mainstream Catholics are open minded and compassionate, me one of them. This Pope was almost reactionary. The church has gone backwards during his tenure. It looks like some hostile right wing ultra-conservative baptist organization now to a lot outsiders. Too bad, because at the local level it is not. His views are priests not marrying and contraception, among other things are just plain cruel and immoral in my book. But he seems to have appointed a whole bunch of potential successors out of his same mold. Too bad again. Perhaps after we're all gone the Chirch will turn into the progressive organization it started out as some 2000 years ago.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

27. if the next Pope has "Peter" in his name ( or birth name) i will freak

prophecy st. malichy ...says the next Pope will be a "peter"(in either his birth name or taken name) will die in iraq and be the last Pope...

i don't believe in this sort of thing "prophecy"

[davidinalameda]

30. I'm guessing that the Church has heard the same thing

and the next pope WON'T have Peter in his name

[arcos]

34. that's for the new Pope to choose, AFTER he is elected...

so, there's no way to know beforehand.

[Dead_Parrot]

37. Not yet...

...We've one more "good 'un" to go, according to Malachy: the Gloria olivae (Glory of the olives) which kinda suggests a Middle-east man in the role.
And then, all heaven breaks loose! :nuke:

Interesting to look at how he's scored so far, by the way...

http://www.catholic-pages.com/grabbag/malachy.asp

[EX-CONservative]

38. Two more Popes:

After John Paul II dies,t here will be two more popes until the destruction of Rome (Nuke attack on Rome? :shrug:)

St. Malachy gave each future Pope a criptic description regarding either personality, geography, etc. He has been right so far.

Next one will be "Gloria Olivae" or Glory of the Olives. Some say this could mean the French Archbishop of Paris. He's a liberal and was born a Jew and later converted to Roman Catholism.

The last pope, (The successor to 'Gloria Olivae') will be known as Petrus Romanus or Peter the Roman. In his reign, Rome shall be destroyed...

[EX-CONservative]

39. Addendum:

While it's said that Petrus Romanus wll see the end of time, it's easy for someone in the 1200's to see a mushroom cloud as the end of the world...

[DemBones DemBones]

40. I pray for Pope John Paul II to live through October and be able

to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his papacy but mostly I pray that he will have a peaceful end, a "happy death." If Cardinal Ratzinger is saying he is in a very bad way, I believe it is true and am saddened..

Catholics know October as the month of the rosary and I will start praying the rosary for John Paul II, using my rosary that he blessed.

Please, those of you who disagree with our pope, this is not a time to be maligning him. I don't expect you to pretend sorrow, just not to speak ill of him now. Many people at DU will mourn his death so please do this out of respect for us, not for him.

Thank you. O8)

[emad]

41. Ratzinger was not just referring to the pontiff's state of physical

health:

the man is a nutter who has gone on a frenzied rampage of beatifying and canonising a motley crew of superstition-inspiring also-rans. His ranting and raving over the years has done more to destroy the lives of ordinary women and men than any other pontif: the encyclical about contraception and the one pertaining to abortion for nuns who had been raped were pure patriarchal hysteria.

Ratzinger made his pronouncement on the day that the City of London police re opened the God's Banker case and are now actively pursuing the murderers of Roberto Calvi, a member of the notorious P2 Lodge which was responsible for the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano and the Opus Dei private slush fund the Institute for Religious Works.

Since 1982, Cardinal Marcinkus, who ran the Vatican's banking and financial operations, has been under house arrest, claiming immunity from prosecution under the aegis of Papal patronage. This was a deal that Vice Pres George H Bush brokered in the 80s when the scandal of the P2 Lodge threatened to bring down many eminent american families and individuals, including Jackie O's sister Caroline Lee Bouvier Canfield Radziwil.

It is notable that both Dubya and Poppy have made official visits to the pontiff during the last two years - and I don't think they went there just for a blessing........

It's Dubya that needs the prayers more right now!

[emad]

42. Dumbo and Laura visited JP2 last year, and Poppy visited

this year. He wants the next Pope to be Chinese.......