Eclipse on pope's funeral

[NVMojo]

Paris - Those who say eclipses herald history-shaping events will find support for their superstition when, on Friday, the sun will be briefly plunged into darkness on the day of Pope John Paul II's funeral.

Astronomers, though, say the eclipse, while of a rare and intriguing type, was calculated long ago and is simply part of a ballet in celestial physics between the sun, earth and moon.

It will be visible on Friday along an arc ranging from the southwestern Pacific to South America, at a time it will already be night in Rome.

The event will be a rare type called a "hybrid eclipse", expert Fred Espenak says on his website sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov.

Along the central part of its path, some sections will have a total eclipse, in which the moon will completely obscure the sun.

On other sections of the track, though, it will be an annular eclipse - the moon will appear to have a brilliant, blazing ring around it.

more...

http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_1685635,00.html

[displacedtexan]

1. Hm. Never occurred to omen lovers that Friday was chosen because...

of the eclipse?

They really believe that the Vatican Powers That Be had no idea that there would be an eclipse on Friday, and that a Thursday funeral wouldn't be as dramatic as a funeral on an eclipse day?

Truly sad.

[NVMojo]

2. I wondered the same thing ....

...a great footnote for the history books, eh?

[warrior1]

3. Whatever.

Is that suppose to be a good omen? I thought those superstitious types cry to the heavens when the sky goes dark.

[Bridget Burke]

4. Good for Chucky & Camilla....

Having their wedding on the day of a solar eclipse would be a "bad sign" for their future.

The funeral made them postpone it a day--too bad all the souvineer matchbooks will go to waste!

[KittyWampus]

5. Symbolism Expresses Truths More Powerfully Than Intellectual Attempts

of expression.

Wasn't the Pope born under a solar eclipse?

[havocmom]

6. Yeah, but the Vatican planned that too

;)

[SpiralHawk]

7. What DU's pert and plucky band of Stargazers has to say on this...

If you cannot abide astrology, then DO NOT SEEK THE TREASURE.

All others are cordially invited to enter DU'S HALLOWED HALL OF ASTROLOGICAL INSIGHT on matters concerning the eclipse, Papal affairs and all that.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=245x5996

[NYC2099]

8. Weird coincidence regarding the prophecy of St. Malachy.....

I found a site that lists the popes predicted from St. Malachy who lived around 1100A.D. He listed all the popes remaining until the 'end times' (not to be confused with the end of the world) using a phrase(s). This document wasn't 'found' for a few hundred years after his death.

I believe like many that it was made up by some monk in the 1400's. But....here's the weird part......Pope John Paul II was called "De Labore Solis" (obviously in Latin) which translates to "Of the Eclipse of the Sun"!!!! There is a (partial) solar eclipse on the day he was born AND on the day of his funeral!!!!!! I still am not inclinded to go along with the predictions since there is only 2 more popes according to him till the 'end times' arrive.

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

[SpiralHawk]

9. If I remember my Malachy correctly

those 2 popes come and go in a big hurry, at least the way he foresaw it.

"The truly sacred answers to no dogma."
- Kathelin Gray

[AllegroRondo]

10. Does this officially make * the anti-christ?