[Pope-John-Paul-II] When will JP2 die?

[meteorite_debris]

The Dead Pope Walking group is dedicated to guessing the date of the pope's 
death.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/deadpopewalking





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope taken to hospital with flu: Vatican

[meteorite_debris]

http://smh.com.au/news/World/Pope-taken-to-hospital/2005/02/02/1107228732139.html

http://tinyurl.com/4butb

Pope taken to hospital with flu: Vatican
February 2, 2005 - 10:29AM

Pope John Paul was taken to hospital suffering from an acute infection in his 
throat, a Vatican spokesman said.

The Polish-born Pope, 84, who has been in poor health for several years, fell 
ill with influenza on Sunday and had been forced to cancel all engagements over 
the past two days.

"I can confirm that he has been taken to hospital," Vatican deputy spokesman 
Father Ciro Benedettini said. He said a full statement on his condition would 
be issued shortly.

Italian television said the Pope had been taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital, 
where he has been treated in the past.

The flu forced him to miss an audience through ill health for the first time in 
more than a year.

A Vatican spokesman said in a statement earlier today that the influenza was 
"progressing as expected".

"As a result, the appointments planned for the next few days have been put 
back," the statement said, adding that tomorrow's weekly general audience would 
not go ahead.

A Vatican source said yesterday that the Pope would miss all public engagements 
today and tomorrow.

Vatican officials had said earlier the Pope no longer had a fever and there was 
no cause for alarm.

Unusually cold weather in Rome has coincided with an outbreak of influenza 
across Italy that has laid up about one per cent of the population, state 
television said.

The Pope, who suffers from Parkinson's disease and no longer walks in public, 
last missed a scheduled event in September 2003 when his weekly audience was 
scrapped because he was suffering from an intestinal ailment.

The Pope's next important appointment is an audience on Friday with the 
president of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell. Next week he has a 
relatively busy program of religious events.

The Pope was chosen by cardinals in a secret conclave on October 16, 1978, as 
the first non-Italian Pontiff in four and a half centuries.

The Pope has left his mark on the world like few others in the 20th century, 
dominating the world stage as champion of the downtrodden but often a contested 
defender of orthodoxy within his own church.

He played a role in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989 and is the 
first Pope to preach in either a Protestant Church or a synagogue.

He is a tireless traveller who has clocked more than one million kilometres in 
visits to some 130 countries.

He has been determined to use his office to draw attention to the plight of the 
world's neediest and most oppressed while at the same time keeping a firm and 
conservative grip on his Church.

But he has also been a visible source of deep division in a Church that has 
grown to more than a billion members during his pontificate.

Many Catholics, particularly in developed countries have disregarded his 
teachings against contraception and contested his ban on women priests and have 
campaigned for a liberal successor.

Unswayed by their protests, he has waged an unflagging battle against abortion, 
contraception, pre-marital sex, divorce, drug abuse and the breakdown of 
traditional family values.

Reuters





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] An update from the SMH (was: Re: Pope taken to hospital with flu: Vatican)

[meteorite_debris]

It looks like this group will lose its' main purpose to exist soon when the 
subject of the group ceases to exist.

***
Pope John Paul II was fighting for breath when he was hospitalised in an 
emergency, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.

A medical report on the state of his health  is planned for 1900 AEDT today, 
doctors said.

They said the health report would be compiled by the Pope's personal physician, 
Dr Renato Buzzonetti, who had left Rome's Gemelli hospital about 1130 AEDT and 
was due to return several hours later, the same source said.

 Navarro-Valls denied speculation  today that the 84-year-old pontiff, who 
suffers from Parkinson's disease, had been put on a life-support machine.

The Vatican statement came after intense speculation over the frail Pope's 
state of health after Ansa reported he had been taken to the hospital outside 
the Vatican walls "as a precaution".

Dozens of journalists and television crews rushed to the hospital and began a 
vigil outside the hospital gates as the world's Catholics waited for news of 
their spiritual leader.


The Pope was taken to hospital last night with complications from a flu he had 
been suffering for days.

"The flu which has been affecting the Holy Father for three days was 
complicated with acute inflammation of the larynx and laryngo-spasm," a 
condition where one cannot catch one's breath, Mr Navarro-Valls said.

"For this reason it was urgently decided that he be taken to the Policlinico 
Gemelli which happened at 10:50pm (8.50am AEDT)," the spokesman said in a 
statement released shortly before midnight yesterday.

Laryngo-spasm is a medical term for the closure of the larynx that blocks the 
passage of air to the lungs.

The Vatican statement came after intense speculation over 84-year-old John Paul 
II's state of health after Italy's Ansa news agency announced he had been taken 
to Rome's Gemelli hospital outside the Vatican walls "as a precaution".

Citing Vatican sources, the agency said the pontiff's health did not give undue 
cause for concern because a fever he contracted on Sunday had gone down, though 
the Pope did have a heavy cough.

But Navarro-Valls denied speculation that the Pope had been put on a 
life-support machine.

"He is not in reanimation," the spokesman said, adding that the pontiff was 
being cared for by his medical team in a special room in the Gemelli hospital.

In recent years, the Pope - who suffers from Parkinson's disease, has been 
dogged by shortness of breath which has often forced him to leave much of his 
prepared homilies and speeches to aides to finish for him.

But only rarely does he cancel official engagements for health reasons, despite 
his frail condition and advanced age.

World political and religious leaders have many times paid tribute to the 
dignity with which the frail pontiff bears his suffering and it is rare that he 
misses a public engagement.

The last time he cancelled a public appearance was in September 2003, because 
of gastric problems which had raised concerns for his health, especially after 
his visit to Slovakia just a few days previously appeared to have left him 
exhausted.

He has previously had to cancel public appearances because of flu, which is 
particularly dangerous for the elderly, in January 1990 and February 1997.

The Pope was noticeably hoarse during his regular weekly Angelus address from 
his apartment window overlooking Saint Peter's Square on Sunday.

He was however well enough on Monday to formally receive, as planned, the 
latest edition of the Pontifical yearbook, which reveals the latest statistics 
regarding vocations in the worldwide Roman Catholic church.

Despite his hoarseness in his last public appearance at the Sunday angelus, the 
Pope appeared in reasonably good form, given his age and infirmity due to a 
long battle with Parkinson's.

He joked with young children who joined him for the Angelus to help him release 
a dove, symbolising a message of peace, which was reluctant to fly off from his 
apartment window.

The Vatican announced earlier yesterday that the Pope cancelled all his public 
appointments in the coming days because of the "continuing progression" of his 
flu and confirmed that he would not hold his normal weekly general audience 
today.

"In consequence, his appointments scheduled for the coming days have been 
postponed. In particular, the general audience will not take place tomorrow," 
the Vatican said.

"At this state I naturally can't predict whether it will be a matter of a day 
or three days. Logically, it will be short-term deferment," the papal spokesman 
later told Vatican radio.

AFP

--- In Pope-John-Paul-II@yahoogroups.com, "meteorite_debris" <[EMAIL 
PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 
> http://smh.com.au/news/World/Pope-taken-to-hospital

[Pope-John-Paul-II] JP2 Reign - Washington Post

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43067-2005Jan27.html

The Pope and His Legacy

Reviewed by James Carroll

The Washington Post
Sunday, January 30, 2005; Page BW03

THE PONTIFF IN WINTER

Triumph and Conflict in the Reign of John Paul II

By John Cornwell. Doubleday. 336 pp. $24.95

(Ap)



HEIRS OF THE FISHERMAN

Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession

By John-Peter Pham. Oxford Univ. 368 pp. $28

Some conservative Catholics have longed to see Pope Pius XII named a
saint of the Church. If the man who presided over the Church's
responses to World War II were canonized, so the hope goes, charges
that Catholics had failed during the Holocaust -- or that Catholic
anti-Semitism had helped prepare for it -- would be laid to rest once
and for all. In the late 1990s, rumors abounded that the Vatican was
soon to beatify Pius XII, but in 1999 John Cornwell published Hitler's
Pope, a damning biography that detailed, among other lapses, the future
pontiff's early role as a Vatican diplomat doing business with and
legitimizing the Nazi regime. The book caused a sensation, driving a
stake through the pope's reputation. Pius XII's defenders dismissed
Cornwell, but when new lists of people being promoted toward sainthood
were published after that, Pius XII's name was conspicuously and
steadily absent. He isn't mentioned much for sainthood any more.
Cornwell, a Catholic writer from Britain, may well have helped his
church avoid the historic sacrilege of compounding its failures during
the Holocaust with shameless denial by canonizing the man who embodied
the shame of the war years.

Now Cornwell has published a book about the present pope, John Paul II
-- an altogether different figure from Pius XII. Yet again, with
another strong and credible work, Cornwell may broadly influence how a
decisively important pontificate is understood. John Paul II has been
visibly in physical decline for some years, and his place in history
has already begun to be marked out. He has served as pope since 1978,
and in that time he has loomed larger, perhaps, than any other figure
on the world stage.

Cornwell does a good, clear job of relating the extraordinary story of
Pope John Paul II's international influence, drawing on previously
published works. John Paul II's biographers, including Cornwell,
uniformly credit him with a central role in the era's great drama: the
nonviolent demise of Soviet communism. The blocks of that story are
firmly in place: Karol Wojtyla's Polish origins; his fierce opposition
to totalitarianism, beginning in the Nazi period; his rejection of
detente-era accommodation with Moscow; the 1981 assassination attempt,
rumored to be ordered by the KGB; his personal (and perhaps financial)
sponsorship of Lech Walesa's anticommunist Solidarity movement; his at
least implicit collaboration with President Reagan in giving the
calcified Kremlin empire a last, shattering shove. It was Mikhail
Gorbachev who decisively -- and heroically -- repudiated violence at
the crucial moment of the Cold War endgame, but he was able to do that
only because the democratic resistance that challenged him from within,
embodied centrally in Poland's Solidarity, had resolutely embraced
nonviolence from the start. And nothing made that more possible than
the moral witness -- and stern insistence -- of the Polish pope.

Having established, against the prevailing realpolitik of the era, that
nonviolence could have such political force, John Paul II remained a
fervent opponent of every form of war -- which, in the end, made him
Washington's critic, too. The pope opposed the Gulf War in 1991, the
2001 attack on Afghanistan after Sept. 11 and the 2003 invasion of
Iraq. The significance of this consistent papal rejection of coercive
violence as an instrument of political power is not sufficiently
understood, and certainly not in Washington. John Paul II is a prophet
of the late-20th-century epiphany: that the nonviolent alternative to
war is no longer a moralist's dream but a profoundly practical option
and, indeed, humanity's only realistic hope.

The conventional assessment of John Paul II contrasts the pope's
liberalizing work outside Catholicism with his profoundly anti-liberal
governance of the Church itself. Thus his support of pro-democracy
movements against totalitarian regimes stands in stark relief to the
rigid authoritarianism with which he has squelched not only theological
dissent but also the regional autonomy of bishops (which, in part,
accounts for the bishops' grievous failure to act against priestly
abuse of children). John Paul II's global promotion of human rights is
seen against his rejection, say, of the demands of Catholic women for
equality (which contributes to the astounding collapse of the Church's
moral authority on all matters having to do with sex). The profound
shift implied in his respect for Judaism's covenant with God as
complete and permanent seems impossible to square with his reassertions
of p

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Cardinal electors

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/cardinali_statistiche/cardinali_statistiche_eta_it.html

http://tinyurl.com/5zysy

This page on the Vatican site (in Italian but you can make it out with
only common sense and with no Italian) is a list of all caedinals. Only 3 
elcting cardinals were created by Paul VI and 10 who are too old to vote. 
Underlined (sottolineati) means cardinals created by Paul VI (Cardinali creati 
da Paolo VI:) and with asterisk (con asterisco)* mean cardinal elector 
(Cardinali elettori).

So the next pope is likely to be very conservative.





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Cardinal electors

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/cardinali_statistiche/cardinali_statistiche_eta_it.html

http://tinyurl.com/5zysy

This page on the Vatican site (in Italian but you can make it out with
only common sense and with no Italian) is a list of all caedinals. Only 3 
elcting cardinals were created by Paul VI and 10 who are too old to vote. 
Underlined (sottolineati) means cardinals created by Paul VI (Cardinali creati 
da Paolo VI:) and with asterisk (con asterisco)* mean cardinal elector 
(Cardinali elettori).

So the next pope is likely to be very conservative.





 Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~--> 
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It is easier than you think.
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~-> 

"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pope-John-Paul-II/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Re: Cardinal electors

[meteorite_debris]

Update

The centenarian cardinal has died aged 101 on Feb 4 2005.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Obit%20Bafile

http://tinyurl.com/5qg9t

Friday, February 4, 2005 · Last updated 12:11 p.m. PT

Italian Cardinal Bafile dies at 101

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Italian Cardinal Corrado Bafile seen in this undated file photo. 
Bafile, at 101 the oldest member of the College of Cardinals, has died in a 
Rome hospital, the Vatican said Friday Feb. 4, 2005. The Vatican did not give 
the cause of death, but news reports said he died from complications of 
influenza. (AP Photo/File)   

VATICAN CITY -- Italian Cardinal Corrado Bafile, at 101 the oldest member of 
the College of Cardinals, has died in a Rome hospital, the Vatican said.

The Vatican did not give the cause of death, but news reports said he died from 
complications of influenza.

Bafile served for 15 years as papal envoy to Germany until he returned to the 
Vatican in 1975 to head the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Pope Paul VI 
elevated him to cardinal the following year.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger will celebrate a funeral Mass for Bafile on Saturday 
in St. Peter's Basilica.

Pope John Paul II, who was hospitalized for respiratory problems and flu 
earlier this week, is continuing to improve, the Vatican said Friday.
***

That makes the Conclave of '78 reunion down to 13 including JP2 himself down 
form over 111. 9 who are over 80 and too old to vote, 3 - Willaim Baum, Joseph 
Rattzinger and Jamie Sin who can sitll vote and the pontiff himself.

--- In Pope-John-Paul-II@yahoogroups.com, "meteorite_debris" <[EMAIL 
PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 
> http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/cardinali_statistiche/cardinali_statistiche_eta_it.html
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/5zysy
> 
> This page on the Vatican site (in Italian but you can make it out with
> only common sense and with no Italian) is a list of all caedinals. Only 3 
> elcting cardinals were created by Paul VI and 10 who are too old to vote. 
> Underlined (sottolineati) means cardinals created by Paul VI (Cardinali 
> creati da Paolo VI:) and with asterisk (con asterisco)* mean cardinal elector 
> (Cardinali elettori).
> 
> So the next pope is likely to be very conservative.





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
Yahoo! Groups Links

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[Pope-John-Paul-II] The conclave that elected JP2

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.thesoutherncross.co.za/features/conclave78.htm

The conclave of October 1978:
How John Paul II became pope
The unexpected dimension of the election of Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla is 
legendary. GUNTHER SIMMERMACHER looks at how it came about. 

October 1978: The world's cardinals gather in Rome to elect one of their own as 
the new pope, the second time they are called to do so in less than two months.

The August conclave, although regarded as an open race, had been fairly 
straightforward. In electing Albino Luciani, Pope John Paul I, the cardinals 
showed what sort of pope they were looking for: a pastoral pontiff, a good 
communicator, doctrinally a moderate conservative, one who is neither a member 
of the curia nor part of an old boys' network.

The Holy Spirit provided one such, and God the Father took him away not a full 
month later. Now, the electors will most likely look at a younger man, even a 
non-Italian–after all, there had been talk of a first non-Italian pontiff in 
455 years before the August conclave.

The doyen of the Vatican press corps, the ex-Jesuit Peter Hebblethwaite, 
speculates that such a man could be the 54-year-old Brazilian Aloìsio 
Lorscheider (though Hebblethwaite concedes that Lorscheider's young age and 
reportedly fragile health might count against him).

The Third Word had been an important conclave issue in August. Luciani's 
concern for the poor nations of the world had helped secure the support of most 
Latin American, African and Asian bishops.

And if the cardinals go for an Italian, Hebblethwaite conjectures that Corrado 
Ursi of Naples (age 70) or Salvatore Pappalardo of Palermo (60) would be 
suitably non-curial and pastoral.

Of course, nobody discounts the Italian heavyweights, Giovanni Benelli (57), a 
former aide to Paul VI and archbishop of Florence, and the conservatives 
Pericle Felici (67), the prefect of the Apostolic Signature, and Giuseppe Siri 
(72), archbishop of Genoa. The latter had been eminently papabile in 1958 and 
1963, and evidently could imagine himself wearing the papal tiara which John 
Paul I had eschewed in favour of a simple pallium (as would his successor).

Before the August conclave, the outspoken American priest-sociologist Andrew 
Greeley told US television that he expected Cardinal Franz König of Vienna to 
be the next "elderly interim pope" (25 years on, König is at 98 years the 
world's oldest living cardinal). Now, in October, Fr Greeley doesn't fancy 
König's chances. Instead, he backs a computer analysis that has Ursi as the 
next pope.

König does not see himself as papabile either. An influential cardinal–he 
played a large part in securing Pope Paul VI's election in 1963–he had backed 
his friend Karol Wojtyla, the 58-year-old archbishop of Krakow, in the first 
conclave of 1978. In the run-up to Conclave II he has become even more excited 
at the notion of the next pope being Wojtyla–Wojtyla, who with Lorscheider and 
Bernardin Gantin of Benin had been a scrutineer (or counting officer) of the 
ballots in August.

In the run-up to the conclave, König makes sure that as many electors as 
possible will be acquainted with the book of Wojtyla's 1976 papal Lenten 
retreat, Segno di Contraddizione (Signs of Contradiction). Across the spectrum, 
it appeals. It also makes a deep impression on the editor of the Spanish 
edition of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Fr (later Bishop) 
Cipriano Calderon Polo, who buys up all the copies he can find, convinced that 
Wojtyla will become pope. Many cardinals have a copy of the book in conclave 
(thoughtfully provided by König).

Wojtyla himself, roomed in cell 91, brings with him a Marxist philosophy 
journal.

The Polish prelate is rumoured to be backing Benelli, speculation based purely 
on the two cardinals having been spotted lunching. But that is just the hacks 
playing their guessing games.

The Italian press, sensing that the new pope might not be an Italian (what a 
loss of prerogative!), throws its weight behind Siri, claiming that he already 
has 50 votes in the bag–forgetting that cardinals have a way of changing their 
minds once they are locked up in conclave.

Indeed, Siri makes it easy for the electors to do so by giving an extraordinary 
interview published (possibly against his wishes) on the eve of the conclave. 
In his interview with the Gazetto del Popolo, Siri has ridiculed Pope John Paul 
I, spitefully attacked the secretary of state, Cardinal Jean Villot, and 
insulted the interviewer in terms that do not draw favourable comparison to a 
wise and kind shepherd.

Monday, October 16, 1978: As the cardinals withdraw into conclave, it becomes 
apparent that Wojtyla now has four backers: König; Vicente Enrique y Trancón of 
Madrid; his fellow Pole and mentor, Stefan Wyszynski; and the Polish archbishop 
of Philadelphia, John Krol.

To little avail, it seems. After the first ballot, Siri leads with 23 votes, 
trailed by Benelli on 22, Ursi on 1

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Now and then

[meteorite_debris]

I have uploaded to the photo section 
 2 contrasting 
photos of JP2. The first is of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla during the October 1978 
conclave which elected him pope and the second is a recent 205 photo. How the 
years tell.





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
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<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Antipopes

[meteorite_debris]

There are 2 claimants to the See of Peter who oppose JP2. Both are 
conservatives and opposed the Vatican Council II reforms.

The first is Lucian_Pulvermacher who took the Title of Pius XIII.
 

His own site is .

The second is Clemente Dominguez y Gomez who took the title of Gregory XVII.


His site is .





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] The betting odds on the next pope

[meteorite_debris]

>From paddy power

http://www.paddypower.com/bet?action=show_type_by_main_market&category=SPECIALS&ev_class_id=45&id=520

http://tinyurl.com/5xmqv

Dionigi Tettamanzi (Italy) 5 - 2
Giovanni Battista Re (Italy) 14 - 1 
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (UK) 20 - 1  

Francis Arinze (Nigeria) 3 - 1
Crescenzio Sepe (Italy)  14 - 1
Sean Patrick O'Malley 20 - 1

Claudio Hummes 4 - 1 
Juan Luis Cipriani (Italy) 14 - 1 
Miloslav Vlk (Czech Republic) 25 - 1

Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino (Cuba) 11 - 2
Cardinal Dario Castrillion Hoyos (Colombia) 14 - 1
Jose Da Cruz Policarpo (Portugal) 25 - 1

Ennio Antonelli (Italy) 6 - 1
Ivan Dias (India) 16 - 1
Wilfred Napier (South Africa) 33 - 1

Joseph Ratzinger (Germany) 8 - 1
Angelo Sodano (Italy) 16 - 1
Cardianl Ruini (Italy) 40 - 1

Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga 10 - 1
Keith O Brien (Scotland) 20 - 1  
Cardinal George Pell (Australia) 40 - 1

Giacomo Biffi (Italy) 10 - 1
Jean-Marie Lustiger (France) 20 - 1
Cardinal Edward Clancy (Australia) 66 - 1

Count Christoph von Schoenborn (Austria) 12 - 1
Godfried Daneels (Belgium) 20 - 1
Cardinal Edward Cassidy (Australia) 66 - 1

Cardinal Angelo Scola (Venice) 12 - 1
Cardinal Carlo Maria Martina (Italy) 20 - 1
Diarmuid Martin 66 - 1

Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Argentina) 12 - 1
Norberto Rivera Carrera (Mexico) 20 - 1  






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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Feature: dead pope will not be hammered

[meteorite_debris]

An older article from 2003 but still relevant.

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20031001-043419-2720r

Feature: dead pope will not be hammered 
By Roland Flamini
UPI Senior Writer
Published 10/1/2003 5:56 PM

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Public concern over Pope John Paul II's health ebbs 
and flows depending on how the 83-year-old pontiff looks in his public 
appearances. 

Announcing the creation of new cardinals Sunday his voice was weak and he had 
to stop several times to regain his breath. On Monday, Cardinal Josef Ratzinger 
made a pessimistic remark about the pope's condition to a German magazine -- 
which the Vatican later played down. 

But whenever it happens, the pope's death will set in motion a chain of Vatican 
rituals and procedures that -- with few variations and amendments -- have been 
in place for centuries. 

As soon as the pope dies, the Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church -- a senior 
Vatican cardinal -- takes over. Usually referred to by the Italian title of 
'Camerlengo' (chamberlain), he is the official who must ascertain that the pope 
is dead. 

As recently as 40 years ago, the Camerlengo did this by tapping the pope's head 
three times with a small hammer and shouting his family name close to his ear, 
but that colorful ritual is not mentioned in the 1996 revisions made by Pope 
John Paul II to streamline the
process, and referred to by the opening Latin words of the document as
"Universi Domini Gregis..." -- The shepherd of the Lord's whole flock... 

However, the Camerlengo is still required to slip the papal ring off the dead 
pope's finger, and smash the official papal seal. 

The Camerlengo -- currently the Spanish-born Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo 
-- will hold daily meetings of all the cardinals present, and the number gets 
bigger as more cardinals arrive in Rome. 

The cardinals' council will declare nine days of official mourning, and set a 
date for the funeral, usually five or six days after the pope's death. This 
allows for the preparation of a grave in the
crypt of St. Peter's Basilica, and for about three days of lying-in-state in 
the basilica. 

The cardinals will also set a date for the start of the conclave, which will 
get going about three weeks following the pope's death. For the cardinals this 
pre-conclave period is a time of politicking, lobbying and consultations. The 
selection of a new pope is as
political as any Chicago ward election.

Planning the conclave is the main function of the cardinals at this point. All 
heads of departments (including the secretary of state and the heads of the 
congregations) cease to exercise their office, and everything that is not an 
emergency is put on hold awaiting the
election of a new pope. 

There's a bit of a cliffhanger here. If the pope dies before Oct. 16, the 
number of cardinal-electors (cardinals who have not reached the age of 80) will 
number 109. That is the date when the pope
is scheduled to hold his consistory, the solemn papal ceremony in St. Peter's 
that actually creates the new cardinals he named last week. Twenty-six of the 
newcomers are of voting age, but until they receive their red hats they are 
only nominees -- and will be left out in
the cold.

Another change introduced by Pope John Paul II is to relax the traditional 
rules of confinement in the conclave. The term comes from the Latin "cum 
clave," meaning "with a key." 

Until John Paul's own election 25 years ago this month, the cardinals were 
sealed into a cramped space in the Vatican Palace, with a hole in the wall 
through which food and other supplies were
passed to them.

Starting with this papal election the cardinals will be lodged in a more 
spacious new building inside the Vatican's walls called the Domus Sanctae 
Marthae (St. Martha's House) and bussed the short distance to the Sistine 
Chapel to vote. But each cardinal still takes a vote of secrecy, and they will 
still remain incommunicado until one of them is
elected pope. No contact with the outside world is allowed, so there will be no 
cell phones or laptops inside -- and the Sistine chapel is "swept" 
electronically to prevent bugging.

The pope is elected by secret ballot. Voting takes place twice daily, in the 
morning and the afternoon, until one of the cardinals receives a two-thirds 
majority of the votes of those present. Vatican sources say there's talk of 
abolishing the time-honored but confusing
smoke signals from the chapel chimney to announce the outcome of the ballot -- 
black smoke for an inconclusive vote, and white smoke to proclaim the election 
of a new pope. 

This would mean that the world will have to wait for the announcement from the 
balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, once a pope is elected. 

A couple of weeks after his first appearance the new pope is formally enthroned 
in St. Peter's Square if the weather is clement, and if not, in the basilica. 
Popes used to be carried in to their coronation high above the heads of the 
crowd on

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope's illness stirs talk of succession

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050203-125017-1581r.htm

Pope's illness stirs talk of succession

By Julia Duin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES


Pope John Paul II's sudden rush to the hospital Tuesday for flu complications 
is once again fueling speculation about who will replace the man who has ruled 
more than 1 billion Catholics for more than a quarter of a century. 

The first Polish pope's reign, now the third-longest after St. Peter and 
Pius IX, has appointed all but three of the cardinals who will vote for his 
successor, thus ensuring that the man who follows him will not differ radically 
from a man some already are calling "John Paul the Great." 

The pope's condition stabilized yesterday, and a Vatican spokesman said 
John Paul's heart and lungs were "within normal limits." He will remain 
hospitalized for a few more days, the Vatican said. 

Still, church observers went back to speculating over who might become the 
next pope. 

Most are predicting Italian candidates as the front-runners, but one 
Nigerian cardinal and several Latin American prelates also are being named as 
men who represent the areas of the world where the Catholic Church is growing 
the fastest. 

Raymond Flynn, ambassador to the Vatican during the Clinton administration, 
is betting on the Central and South American bishops. 

"The world has changed under John Paul II," he said. "The Italians don't 
have the kind of domination in terms of voting members they once did." 

Hispanics are "the fastest-growing community of Catholics in the world," 
Mr. Flynn said. "The church is very strong there, and there's extraordinary 
leadership coming from Latin and Central America. Although we're closing 
churches here, those are the two continents where they have to keep on building 
more Catholic churches for the population of Catholics there." 

John Paul II raised the percentage of non-European prelates in the College 
of Cardinals with the appointments he made during his 25th-anniversary 
celebrations in October 2003. There are 119 cardinals younger than 80 and thus 
eligible to vote for the next pontiff. 

That same month, his Parkinson's disease had rendered him too weak to crown 
each new cardinal with a red biretta, sparking rumors of his imminent demise. 
However, the pope soon rallied. 

But his 84 years, ever-worsening Parkinson's and current stay in the 
Gemelli Polyclinic, a Catholic hospital close to the Vatican, once again have 
brought up the inevitable conjectures on who may fill his shoes. 

The Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a Jesuit who edits America magazine, has made the 
papal transition a standard feature on his Web site, www.americamagazine.org. 

"I think that the next pope will be a cardinal who is between 62 and 72 
years of age," he says on the site, "speaks Italian and English, who reflects 
John Paul's positions (liberal on social justice and peace, traditional in 
church teaching and practice, and ecumenical but convinced the church has the 
truth) but has a very different personality and is a supporter of less 
centralization in the church and, therefore, probably not a curial cardinal." 

Italian, he added, is the working language of the Vatican and the language 
of Rome, for whom the pope is their bishop. English is either a first or second 
language for many of the world's inhabitants; and Spanish is the language of 
huge numbers of Catholics. 

Because John Paul II has occupied the throne for so long, the Italians are 
said to be eager to restore one of their own to the papacy, chiefly Cardinal 
Dionigi Tettamanzi of Milan, 70, who is considered a natural mediator with few 
enemies. 

Among the non-Italian Europeans, Austria's Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, 
60, an intellectual heavyweight, could be a bridge between East and West, but 
is considered too young by some and too similar to the current Slavic pope by 
others. Another contender is Cardinal Godfried Danneels, 71, of Belgium, who 
has a reputation as a church moderate. 

Or the cardinals, who will meet in a papal conclave within 20 days of the 
pope's death, could choose an African, with the most-often mentioned candidate 
being Nigeria's Cardinal Francis Arinze, 72. He is known for his expertise on 
Islam and interreligious affairs — and also for the uproar he caused in May 
2003 at Georgetown University when he criticized homosexuals during a 
commencement address. 

Sentiment could turn toward Latin America, which has never produced a pope. 
Top contenders there are Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, 62, a 
telegenic Honduran; Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 68, of Argentina, who is 
known for his expertise on social issues; or Cardinal Claudio Hummes, 70, of 
Sao Paulo, Brazil, the largest diocese in the world's largest Catholic country. 

 Two 77-year-old men are considered too old to be pope: Cardinal Josef 
Ratzinger, the German head of the Congregation for the

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope Alert, Spoke Clearly in Message

[meteorite_debris]

Pope Alert, Spoke Clearly in Message


Saturday February 5, 2005 3:46 PM

By ANGELA DOLAND

Associated Press Writer

ROME (AP) - Pope John Paul II was alert and spoke in a clear voice
Saturday as he read a note signed by dozens of bishops who gathered in
the chapel of the Rome hospital treating the pontiff for flu and
breathing troubles, the bishop who delivered the letter said Saturday.

Italian Bishop Vincenzo Paglia, who brought the note to John Paul's
suite at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic hospital, said the pope expressed
joy and gratitude for the prayers of support.

``You can understand him easily,'' Paglia told reporters, describing
how the pope turned the pages of the letter in his hands. The ANSA
news agency quoted him as saying the pope spoke ``with a clear
timbre.''

The pope will give his traditional blessing at midday Sunday from the
hospital where he is being treated for the flu and breathing troubles,
but an aide will read out the weekly Angelus prayer, the Vatican
announced Saturday. It said it planned to televise Sunday's service
but was still working out details.

A blessing consists of only a few words in Latin, generally, ``May
Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,'' and would be
far less taxing on the pope than reading out the entire prayer.

The Vatican also said American Cardinal James Stafford would preside
in the name of the pope at an Ash Wednesday prayer service in St.
Peter's Basilica. The service had been scheduled before the pope's
illness in place of his regular general audience.

John Paul's fourth night in the hospital passed calmly, Vatican radio
reported Saturday.

About 100 leaders from different branches of Christianity gathered
Saturday in the hospital chapel to pray for his recovery. The clerics,
who included Roman Catholic bishops as well as Orthodox and Lutheran
ministers, were in Rome for the 37th anniversary of a Catholic aid
organization.

``The pope is happy for the prayer. The pope is getting better - he is
happy. We hope that he can return soon to take up his normal
activities again,'' Paglia said.

On Friday, the Vatican said the pope's flu and breathing problems were
improving and he was eating regular food again, but it did not specify
when the pontiff could leave the hospital or resume his regular
schedule.

The latest official medical bulletin from the Holy See said the pope's
condition had stabilized and that his breathing had improved.
Otherwise, it gave few details on the flu and respiratory troubles
that led to the pontiff's urgent hospitalization on Tuesday night.

John Paul canceled a Friday meeting with Josep Borrell, the president
of the European Parliament. Borrell met instead with Vatican Secretary
of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, as will U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice when she visits Tuesday, officials said.

The Vatican dashed expectations that the pope might address a
long-planned gathering of seminarians at the Vatican later Saturday by
a hookup from his 10th-floor room in the Roman Catholic hospital.
Instead, an emissary was to read a speech in the pope's name.

But Sunday's traditional prayer appearance was something the pope
``doesn't want to miss,'' papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.

Usually, John Paul addresses a crowd from a window above St. Peter's
Square. The diocese of Rome has urged the faithful to turn out anyway
in the vast square, where the Angelus - as the noon prayer is called -
might appear on a giant screen.

Without committing to the idea, officials have said one possibility is
a broadcast hookup from the papal suite at the hospital. Some reports
have suggested the speech could be recorded in advance or be read by
an aide.

A member of the papal entourage at the hospital said the pope's
difficulty speaking is one problem in deciding how to handle the
event.

The pope's age and Parkinson's disease make his flu more dangerous,
and doctors were watching him closely for any signs of complications.
Chest infections are common in Parkinson's patients because they often
have swallowing mishaps where food or saliva go down to the lungs
instead of the stomach.

Patriarch Alexy II, the head of Russia's Orthodox Church - whose
relations with the Roman Catholic Church have been strained and have
thwarted John Paul's longtime desire to visit Russia - sent his
``fraternal prayers'' in a telegram to the pope.

The pontiff was rushed by ambulance to Gemelli late Tuesday after
suffering what the Vatican called an inflamed windpipe and spasms of
the larynx, or voice box, which had made it difficult for him to
breathe. Navarro-Valls has suggested John Paul may spend a week in the
tightly guarded hospital, without giving a specific date for his
release. 





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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Betting on the next Pope - old BBC story but still current

[meteorite_debris]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2540369.stm

Thursday, 5 December, 2002, 15:34 GMT 
Betting on the next Pope

By Peter Gould 
BBC News Online 

An Irish bookmaker is risking the displeasure of the Vatican by inviting 
punters to have a flutter on the identity of the next Pope. 

John Paul II is now a frail 82, and suffers from Parkinson's disease. 

Although his papacy is assumed to be nearing its end, the Catholic Church 
frowns on speculation about his successor. 



People in Ireland are irreverent, we are just having a little fun 

Paddy Power
Irish bookmaker 

Merely to discuss the issue can cause offence. 

Yet a leading Irish bookmaker, Paddy Power, is apparently willing to risk a 
bolt of lightning from the heavens. 

In addition to a wide range of sports betting, the company offers odds on the 
Miss World contest and the chances of snow at Christmas. 

 
Father Dougal McGuire: 1,000-1 outsider


It recently caused a stir by including John Paul II in a "Dole Derby" of people 
about to lose their jobs. 

Now, venturing further into the religious world, the company's website lists 15 
clerics and their odds of becoming the next Pope. 

Most are serious contenders for the papacy, but the inclusion of Father Dougal 
McGuire of Craggy Island may come as a surprise to the Vatican. 

Television viewers will recognise him as the scatterbrained young priest in the 
Father Ted sitcom. He is the outsider at 1,000-1. 

"People in Ireland are irreverent and we are just having a little fun," said 
Paddy Power, the company's operating executive. 

"There has been plenty of interest all right, but no reaction from the Church. 
I don't think they would lower themselves by commenting on a bookmaker. 

"I suppose we will find out on Judgment Day!" 

Inside track? 

The bookmaker sought the advice of religious affairs correspondents in drawing 
up its list of runners for the papal stakes. 

Papal odds 
4-1: 
Francis Arinze 
6-1:
Giacomo Biffi, Dionigi Tettamanzi 
8-1:
Dario Castrillon Hoyos, Christoph Schonborn 
10-1:
Giovanni Battista Re 
1,000-1:
Father McGuire 

"It is an unusual market, and we don't have a religious expert here," said Mr 
Power. 

The current favourite, with odds of 4-1, is Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria, 
who has frequently been tipped for the papacy. 

Like just about every other cardinal who is regarded as "papabile" - the 
Italian word for a possible Pope - he refuses to discuss his chances. 

Next on the list are two Italians. Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, the 
newly-appointed Archbishop of Milan, and Cardinal Giacomo Biffi of Bologna are 
both quoted at 6-1. 

Five of the likely contenders are from Latin America, a reflection of the 
increasing power of this part of the Catholic world. 

In the short time the book has been open, Paddy Power has accepted "a good few" 
bets, with stakes of up to £200 (300 euros). 

But who is betting on the papacy? The bookmaker cannot be sure, but some of the 
smart money may be coming from the clergy. 

Who else would risk a flutter on one of the world's most unpredictable 
elections? 

"There is nothing wrong in priests having a bet, and you often see them at the 
races," said Mr Power. 

"They are probably more knowledgeable than we are about this, so I think some 
of them will have had a wager, and will be praying for the right result." 

Tight-lipped 

Needless to say, none of the cardinals who feature in the betting would ever 
acknowledge that they have a chance of becoming Pope. 

Campaigning for the papacy is strictly forbidden, and most cardinals would be 
embarrassed even to be mentioned as a papal runner. 

 
Dionigi Tettamanzi: Joint second favourite at 6-1


The Vatican stresses that the outcome of papal elections is the work of the 
Holy Spirit. 

Others may see it as a race, but it is one that will take place well away from 
the public gaze. 

The process of electing the next Pope will begin shortly after the death of 
John Paul II. 

The most senior members of the Catholic hierarchy will gather together in a 
secret meeting called a conclave. 

All cardinals under the age of 80 are entitled to take part in the voting. 
Currently there are 114, and one of them will almost certainly emerge as the 
next Pope. 

 
A 16-1 shot: Rivera Carrera from Mexico


Because the voters are locked inside the Vatican, isolated from the outside 
world, the first sign that a Pope has been chosen will be white smoke rising 
above the Sistine Chapel. 

The cardinals are forbidden to communicate with the outside world, which means 
they will be banned from using mobile phones. 

This emphasis on secrecy means it would be difficult for anyone on the outside 
to pull off a betting coup. 

"If there are any rumours, the money will start to flood in, so I am sure we 
would know," said Mr Power. 

In the event of a candidate dying before the election, horse racing's Rule 4 
will apply and they will be treated as a non-runner. 

Big loser 

Paddy Power says the bo

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Frail Pope's speech 'no recording'

[meteorite_debris]

http://smh.com.au/news/National/Frail-Popes-speech-no-recording/2005/02/07/1107625089649.html

http://tinyurl.com/42f2u

Frail Pope's speech 'no recording'
February 7, 2005 - 7:35AM

A frail-looking but alert Pope John Paul II made a 10-minute appearance at his 
hospital window today, allaying immediate fears for his health and signalling 
that, even diminished by illness, he continues to lead the Catholic church.

In the first public glimpse of the pontiff since his most recent health crisis, 
he waved from the window as hundreds of pilgrims who had gathered expectantly 
below applauded and a Vatican aide read out the traditional Sunday Angelus 
prayer.

The 84-year-old pontiff then performed the ritual blessing, though in a hoarse, 
faltering voice that was barely audible.

In a message read out as arranged by the Vatican deputy secretary of state, 
Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, the Pope said he was "continuing to serve" the 
church from his hospital bedside.

"Even here in hospital, surrounded by other sick people, to whom I send my 
affectionate thoughts, I continue to serve the church and the whole of 
humanity."

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls dismissed as "nonsense" suggestions in 
the Italian media that a pre-recorded tape was used to mask John Paul's marked 
difficulty in speaking.

Experienced Vatican watchers said the Pope likely received the assistance of a 
pre-recorded tape played by Vatican audio technicians when it became clear he 
had not recovered sufficiently well to be able to speak.

Despite the chill weather, the pontiff remained at the open hospital window for 
the 10-minute duration of the Angelus, as the prayer and message read by Sandri 
was relayed to pilgrims in St Peter's Square.

In the message he was too weak to read himself, the Pope thanked "from my 
heart" the doctors and nurses who have been keeping him under intense medical 
surveillance since he was rushed to the Gemelli hospital on Tuesday with severe 
respiratory difficulties.

"I send all of you, dear brothers and sisters, and to all those in every part 
of the world who are close to me, recognition of the sincere and heartfelt 
affection, which in recent days I have felt in a particularly intense way."

Many in the crowd of pilgrims following the broadcast in St Peter's Square 
closed their eyes in fervent prayer as the Pope's message boomed out over 
loudspeakers.

It was John Paul's first appearance since his emergency hospitalisation and an 
ensuing five days in which the Vatican carefully filtered news of his progress, 
leading to fears that the remnants of his strength left to him by Parkinson's 
disease may have been further diminished, gravely compromising his pontificate.

While it did not settle the question of long-term damage, today's appearance 
will have ended immediate fears about his condition.

"The fact that the Pope showed himself today augurs well for the future. That 
means that we can feel reassured. It's a good sign," said Vatican bishop 
Francesco Lambiasi, outside the Gemelli hospital.

Navarro-Valls was scheduled to provide an updated medical bulletin at midday 
(2200 AEDT) tomorrow, the first since Friday, which said the Pope's health was 
improving.

Pasquale Ciuffreda, a 50-year-old lawyer from Foggia in southern Italy, said he 
was deeply moved by the pontiff's obvious suffering.

"It's like seeing Christ crucified," he said, after watching the Pope from 
among the crowd of pilgrims gathered under his window.

"I find it very moving to see such suffering. I couldn't believe he would make 
an appearance, given his state of health," he added.

Susan Giambrone, a Presbyterian, from Auburn in Alabama, said she had come to 
the hospital because "my grandmother had Parkinson's and I think it's very 
important to be here and support him because he still has his mind".

Her Catholic friend, Leigh Allbrook, said they had decided to go to St Peter's 
Square when they heard a rumour the Pope might appear at his window.

"His body's weak but his mind is still very strong," he said.

AFP





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] City archbishop could be the next pope

[meteorite_debris]

http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/february/102963.htm

  City archbishop could be the next pope
   By: Manoj Nair 
   February 5, 2005 

Mumbai's archbishop Cardinal Ivan Dias is a potential candidate for the papacy, 
the only one from Asia, said sources in the archdiocese of Bombay. 

Reports in the foreign press, especially in Canada and Australia, 
suggest that Dias could be the Asian hope for the next pope. He is also one of 
the 120-odd cardinals who will elect the next pope.

However, in keeping with tradition, the Roman Catholic Church has abstained 
from discussing elections regarding the next pope, while the current pontiff is 
still alive. 

Said a Mumbai priest, "Dias is close to the Pope and his conservatism makes him 
an ideal candidate." 

Apart from Dias, cardinal Telesphore Toppo, archbishop of Ranchi, Jharkhand and 
cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, the Syro-Malabar major archbishop of 
Ernakulam-Angamaly in Kerala, are the other Indians who will take part in the 
election.

There are two other Indians who are cardinals, and could've voted, but they are 
over the age of 80 and cannot do so. 

They are former archbishop of Mumbai, Simon Pimenta and Simon Lorduswamy, 
former archbishop of Bangalore.

Here are the top five contenders to be the next pope.

(Also in the race are Angelo Scola, patriarch of Venice; Ivan Dias, archbishop 
of Mumbai; Jorge Bergoglio, a Jesuit from Argentina; Claudio Hummes, archbishop 
of Sao Paolo, Brazil; Jaimi Lucas Ortega, Cuba; Rivera Carrera, Mexico; and 
Giovanni Battista Re, a Vatican official.)

Dionigi Tettamanzi, the favourite

Age: 71 
Italian
The Archbishop of Milan, he is the favorite with bookies who are
offering bets on the papal election. He became a cardinal in 1998 and is
regarded as a moderate who may be able to mediate between liberals and
conservatives. Several archbishops from Milan have become popes.

Camillo Ruini

Age: 74
Italian
Ruini is vicar general of Rome and president of the Italian Episcopal
Conference. He was appointed cardinal in 1991 and he is considered to be
a conservative who may get along with the liberals. Born near Modena,
Ruini was ordained on December 8, 1954. 

Joseph Ratzinger

Age: 78 
German
A frontrunner according to Time magazine, Ratzinger was born in Germany.
He taught Theology at the University of Bonn and was once archbishop of
Munich before moving to Italy. 

He's now the pope's advisor on doctrinal matters. He's powerful in the Vatican 
and holds very conservative views on birth control and inter-religious dialogue.

Francis Arinze

Age: 73
Nigerian
Francis Arinze was born in Nigeria and ordained on Nov 23, 1958. He
taught at the Bigard Memorial Seminary and then served as a senior
official for Catholic education in eastern Nigeria. 

He was president of the Nigerian Bishops' Conference and became a cardinal on 
May 25, 1985. He is a close friend of the pope and considered a conservative.

Christoph Schoenborn

Age: 60 
Austrian
The archbishop of Vienna and a respected theologian, Schoenborn was
appointed to the College of Cardinals in '98. 

Born in Czechoslovakia, he moved with his family to Austria while he was still 
young. His relative youth will hamper his prospects because there are 
indications that the cardinals don't fancy another pope with a long term.

Pope may remain in hospital over the weekend 

Pope John Paul II is being treated at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, not far from 
his residence in Vatican City. 

He will probably remain hospitalised at least until Monday, but he appears to 
be on the mend, Vatican and medical officials said yesterday. 

The 84-year-old pontiff's hospitalisation late on Tuesday was more 
precautionary than necessary, said the Vatican.

Officials moved him after he had trouble breathing because of his medical 
history, which includes being shot in the abdomen in an assassination attempt 
in 1981, surgery to have a tumor removed in 1992 and Parkinson's disease.

A spokesman said that the Pope has an inflammation of the trachea.

How is the pope chosen?

Two weeks after a pope's death, the Sacred College of Cardinals gather at a 
secret and guarded section of the Sistine Chapel in Rome to elect the next 
pontiff. 

Secret written ballots are used in the election. Except in special cases, a 
papal candidate must receive two-thirds of the vote plus one to be elected. 
Several ballots are conducted till there is a winner.   

The ballots are burnt after each vote, and if the vote is unsuccessful, a 
substance is added to the fire to produce black smoke. 

Thus, black smoke indicates to the crowd below that the voting continues, while 
white smoke signals that a new pope has been chosen.

26
The number of years John Paul II has been the pope. He is the longest serving 
pope in over a century.






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[Pope-John-Paul-II] A list of cardinals

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/a-z-all.htm 

This site provides bio info on all cardinals. It is even up to date noting the 
death of Corrado Bafile, the 101 year old cardinal, a few days ago.

On the old cardinal in question is this entry at 


BAFILE, Corrado (1903-2005)

Birth. July 4, 1903, L'Aquila, archdiocese of L'Aquila, Italy.

Education. University of Münich, Münich, Germany; University of Rome, Rome 
(law, 1926); Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome; Major Roman Seminary, Rome; 
Pontifical Lateran Athenaeum, Rome; Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical 
Nobles, Rome (1936-1939).

Early life. Practiced law for some time before entering the seminary in 1932.

Priesthood. Ordained, Holy Saturday, April 11, 1936, Rome. Further studies, 
1936-1939. Attached to the Vatican Secretariat of State and pastoral work in 
Rome, 1939-1960. Domestic prelate of His Holiness, June 24, 1954.

Episcopate. Elected titular archbishop of Antiochia di Psidia and appointed 
nuncio in Germany, February 13, 1960. Consecrated, March 19, 1960, at the 
Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, by Pope John XXIII. Attended the II Vatican 
Council, 1962-1965. Appointed pro-prefect of the S.C. for the Causes of the 
Saints, July 11, 1975.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon, May 24, 1976; received the red biretta 
and the deaconry of S. Maria in Portico, May 24, 1976. Prefect of S.C. for the 
Causes of the Saints, May 25, 1976. Attended the IV Ordinary Assembly of the 
World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 29, 1977. 
Participated in the conclave of August 25 to 26, 1978. Participated in the 
conclave of October 14 to 16, 1978. Attended the I Plenary Assembly of the 
Sacred College of Cardinals, Vatican City, November 5 to 9, 1979. Resigned the 
prefecture, June 27, 1980. Attended the II Plenary Assembly of the Sacred 
College of Cardinals, November 23 to 26, 1982, Vatican City. Lost the right to 
participate in the conclave when turned 80 years of age, July 4, 1983. Attended 
the III Plenary Assembly of the College of Cardinals, Vatican City, November 21 
to 23, 1985. Opted for the order of cardinal priests and his deaconry was 
elevated, pro illa vice, to title, June 22, 1987.

Death. February 3, 2005, Clinica Pio XI, Rome. Buried, parish church of S. 
Maria Paganica, L'Aquila, where he was baptized.





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope to Miss Ash Wednesday Prayers

[meteorite_debris]

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/news/020805_nw_pope_latest.html

Pope to Miss Ash Wednesday Prayers

ROME, ITALY — A Vatican spokesman says Pope John Paul the second will remain 
hospitalized for a few more days as a "precaution." The Vatican said today that 
his health problems will cause the Pontiff to miss tomorrow's Ash Wednesday 
services for the first time since he became Pontiff in 1978. 

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with the Vatican's second in 
command. 

Rice met with her Vatican counterpart Cardinal Angleo Sodano Tuesday, while the 
Pope remained in the hospital. Yesterday, Sodano shocked some Vatican observers 
by responding to a question about whether the Pope would consider resigning. 
Although the possibility is always brought up when a Pope falls ill, Vatican 
officials have rarely addressed the issue in public. 

"Let's leave this to the Pope's conscience, Sodando said. "We have enormous 
faith in him. He knows what to do." 

Vatican Correspondent Marcus Politi says, "It's always better that at least 
officially and publicly, it's always the Pope has decided to step down." 

But at a brief appearance from his suite at Gemelli Hospital Sunday, the pope 
seemed determined to show he is not ready to step down. 

Vatican Analyst Wilton Winn says, "It would take an awful lot for him to lay 
down that burden. And I think it showed he just is determined to go on to the 
very absolute end." 

Other Vatican experts wonder how much longer he'll have the physical capacity 
to lead the Church. The 84-year-old Pontiff has advanced Parkinson's disease, 
which may lead to dementia. 

No one can force a Pontiff to resign. The last time a Pope did was more than 
500 years ago.





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Paul Collins discusses JP2

[meteorite_debris]

On ABC RN program Late Night Live Philip Adams interviews Paul Collins 

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/lnl/s1299938.htm

The State of the Pope

Summary
The recent hospitalisation of Pope John Paul II has brought up the issue of 
whether he should resign or retire due to ill health. 

Paul Collins says until recently he didn't believe the Pope would resign, but 
suggests that there may be signals from within the Vatican that he needs to 
accept the reality of his frail health. 

Guests on this program

Paul Collins 

Writer, broadcaster, historian; former Catholic Priest 
Publications "Between A Rock and A Hard Place: Being Catholic Today" 

Author: Paul Collins 
Publisher: ABC Books 
"Papal Power: A Proposal for Change in Catholicism's Third Milennium" 
Author: Paul Collins 
Publisher: Harper Collins 
"Upon This Rock: The Popes and Their Changing Role" 
Author: Paul Collins 
Publisher: Melbourne University Press

Listen to it real audio or windows media player below

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/lnl/audio/lnl_10022005_2856.ram
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/lnl/audio/lnl_10022005_28M.asx





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Cardinal raises subject of Pope's retirement

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1107778786542_6/?hub=TopStories

http://tinyurl.com/6ujuo

Cardinal raises subject of Pope's retirement

CTV.ca News Staff

Vatican observers say the shifting tone of papal officials on the issue of 
retirement could mean it's now a possibility. 

Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said Monday that Pope John Paul II 
continued to improve in hospital after being hospitalized for flu-related 
breathing complications last Tuesday night.

The 84-year-old Polish-born pope was eating regularly, had no fever and has 
been sitting in a chair, he told reporters.

However, he dodged the issue of when the Pope will be released, only saying: 
"His doctors have advised him to stay a few more days."

But when Angelo Cardinal Sodano was asked by a reporter whether the Pope has 
considered resigning, the Vatican's secretary of state responded with: "Let's 
leave this hypothesis up to the Pope's conscience.

"If there is a man who loves the church more than anybody else, who is guided 
by the Holy Spirit, if there's a man who has marvelous wisdom, that's him. We 
must have great faith in the Pope. He knows what to do,'' Sodano says.

Sodano is the Vatican's No. 2 official and is considered a possible successor 
to the Pope.

Vatican watchers say that since Sodano had both responded to the question and 
did not definitively dismiss it, this could mean the Vatican was at least 
discussing the possibility of retirement.

In fact, veteran Vatican observer Marco Politi told CTV News that according to 
his sources, there is a plan in place should the Pope become mentally or 
physically incapacitated.

"There are effective facts behind these rumours that probably the pope has 
already written a letter of resignation given to his secretary of state," he 
says.

Pope Paul VI had prepared such a letter, but its existence only became known a 
decade after his death in 1978.

Popes can retire, but cannot be forced from the position. Almost all die in 
office. It's been 700 years since the last resignation, when Celestine V 
stepped down in 1294. Gregory XII reluctantly abdicated in 1415, but there was 
another Pope reigning at the same time.

However, earlier in the day, Sodano spoke of John Paul's longevity.

"Pius IX was pope for 32 years. Let's pray that John Paul passes this mark," he 
said.

Robert Mickens, who worked in the Vatican for 20 years, told CTV News "reading" 
the Vatican is a very difficult task.

"This place thrives on information and who owns it, who controls it, who knows 
what because it's about power in the Vatican," he says.

Mickens noted the following adage: "The Pope is never sick until he dies."

The Pope's health

The Pope has Parkinson's disease along with hip and knee problems. He has been 
cutting back on his schedule and letting aides read more of his speeches out 
loud because Parkinson's affects his speaking ability.

He made a 10-minute public appearance on Sunday. It was an effort for him to 
read a 10 to 12-word blessing. He was barely audible when he did it.

An Argentine archbishop read out a message that indicated John Paul is prepared 
to continue: "In this hospital, in the middle of other sick people to whom my 
affectionate thoughts go out, I can continue to serve the church and the whole 
of humanity."

The Vatican said the next update on the Pope's health wouldn't be issued until 
Thursday.

Prior to this latest crisis, however, he had appeared to be in good form.

For example, the Pope confirmed he would visit a church youth festival in 
Germany this summer.

With a report from CTV's Lisa LaFlamme and files from The Associated Press






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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope declared 'cured,' released from hospital

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1108034222338_71/?hub=TopStories

http://tinyurl.com/55uod

Pope declared 'cured,' released from hospital

CTV.ca News Staff

Pope John Paul II left hospital on Thursday, 10 days after he was rushed to 
hospital with breathing spasms.

Just after 1:15 p.m. EST, the 84-year-old pontiff was loaded onto his 
glass-topped Popemobile and made a public exit, surrounded by a convoy of 
security staff. 

He was cheered by a crowd of people who waited for hours, lining the 
three-kilometre route from Rome's Gemelli hospital to the Vatican. 

Reporting from Rome, CTV's Lisa LaFlamme was 10 feet away from the pontiff as 
he made his exit, and said "He waved, he smiled, he appeared robust. 

"It was an unbelievable experience."

LaFlamme described to CTV Newsnet the reaction of a small group of patients who 
the Pope had passed as he left the hospital: 

"People just started crying, hospital staff crying, patients with bandages on 
their noses and broken arms and legs. This was truly a moment for this small 
group of people."

A Vatican spokesperson announced earlier that the 84-year-old Pope has been 
"cured" of his respiratory problems, and that his health was continuing to 
improve.

"All of the tests of the last two days, including a CAT scan, reveal there are 
no other ailments of great concern," Lisa LaFlamme reported from Rome.

"He can actually be back in the Vatican, trying to regain his strength without 
having to cancel any of the events leading up to Easter," LaFlamme reported.

The Pope was rushed to hospital on Feb. 1 with respiratory problems after 
coming down with the flu. He also suffers from Parkinson's disease and 
crippling hip and knee ailments.

The announcement came one day after the Pope celebrated Ash Wednesday in his 
hospital room, missing public prayers opening the Lenten season of fasting and 
reflection for the first time in 26 years.

The frail Pope, surrounded by his personal physician and other doctors held 
mass in his tightly guarded suite at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic. 

The debate over the Pope's successor intensified among Catholic officials as 
his stay lengthened in the hospital. 

The Pope has said he will continue his mission until he dies. 

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who is second to the Pope in the Vatican as secretary 
of state said the resignation is "up to the Pope's conscience."

But Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who as head of the Congregation of 
Bishops is one of the pope's top advisers, criticized the discussions as "bad 
taste."

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet said Wednesday that the Pope should not resign.

"The pope has affirmed several times that he will remain at his post until his 
last breath," said Ouellet, the archbishop of Quebec City. 

"I think after the great service he has given us for 27 years, he deserves to 
die as pope."

Ouellet said the pontiff still has lessons to teach as an "extraordinary moral 
authority."

"His role at this moment is to draw attention to the situation of old people, 
of sick people, of handicapped people who are in his condition, to remind 
humanity of the dignity of the human being from the first moment, but 
especially at the end of life. I think it's an important mission."

With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] On World Sick Day, pope says suffering has 'precious' value

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0500858.htm

SICKDAY-POPE Feb-11-2005 (440 words) xxxi

On World Sick Day, pope says suffering has 'precious' value

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Saying suffering has a "precious" value, Pope John Paul 
II urged hundreds of sick people to keep him and the whole church in their 
prayers. 

The pope sent a message Feb. 11 -- the day after he was released from the 
hospital -- to Italian patients, their family members and caregivers marking 
the World Day of the Sick in St. Peter's Basilica. 

Pope John Paul, who was released Feb. 10 from Rome's Gemelli Hospital after a 
10-day hospitalization for breathing difficulties connected to the flu, did not 
join the pilgrims at the end of the Mass, as was his practice in the past. 

Cardinal Camillo Ruini, papal vicar for Rome, celebrated the Mass and read the 
pope's message to the pilgrims, many of whom attended on stretchers or in 
wheelchairs. 

In his message, the pope said he felt "particularly close" to the sick people 
present for the Mass. 

"Dying on the cross, Christ, the man of suffering, brought to completion the 
Father's plan of love and redeemed the world," the pope wrote. 

"Dear sick people, if you unite your pain to his sufferings, you can be his 
privileged cooperators in the salvation of souls," he wrote. 

"Your suffering is never useless," the 84-year-old pope told them. "In fact, it 
is precious because it is a mysterious but real sharing in the saving mission 
of the Son of God." 

The pope, explaining that the World Day of the Sick is observed on the feast of 
Our Lady of Lourdes, said Christians are called to "entrust themselves to 
Christ and to his heavenly mother, who never abandon those who turn to them in 
times of pain and trial." 

Pope John Paul told the pilgrims he counted on their prayers and the offering 
up of their suffering. 

"Offer them for the church and the world," he said. "Offer them also for me and 
for my mission as universal pastor of the Christian people." 

After reading the pope's message, Cardinal Ruini offered a special prayer for 
Pope John Paul, asking God to give him "the fullness of strength and grace for 
fulfilling his great ministry as pope and as bishop of this diocese, Rome." 

The cardinal also prayed that the pope and all who experience suffering also 
would experience God's love, which "is the love of a father, but in some ways, 
also the love of a mother, tender and close." 

At the end of the Mass, the pilgrims lighted candles, and the lights in the 
basilica were turned off as they sang the Lourdes hymn, "Immaculate Mary." 

END






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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope, Cardinal Ratzinger urge fidelity to Catechism

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=5757

Pope, Cardinal Ratzinger urge fidelity to Catechism 

Sep. 08, 1997 

VATICAN (CWN) -- Pope John Paul has called upon Church's teachers and clerics 
to be faithful to the truths contained in the universal Catechism. 

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (bio - news), the prefect of the Congregation for the 
Doctrine of the Faith, evoked that message today as he presented the Pope with 
the Latin edition of the Catechism. "We bishops promise...to intensify our 
efforts" to promote the Catechism, he vowed. 

Cardinal Ratzinger pointed out that this edition represents the fruit of a long 
process. The process of preparing a new universal Catechism was begun in 1986. 
In 1993 the Holy Father appointed an editorial committee to edit the proposed 
entries. The original edition of the Catechism appeared in French in 1992, 
followed by several other translations. The corrections prompted by those 
publications were incorporated into the Latin edition. 

Insofar as it is the result of a cooperative effort by the world's bishops, the 
cardinal observed, the Catechism should be a source of communion among the 
local churches. The Catechism, he said, is intended as "a reference text on the 
authentic teaching of Catholic doctrine," which can be used in the design of 
religious instruction at the local level. 

In his response to the presentation, Pope John Paul insisted that each diocese 
and episcopal conference should be engaged in the work of promoting the 
Catechism. He cited his own apostolic letter Fidei Depositum, with which he 
promulgated the Catechism, and in which he said that the Catechism is a sign of 
"the renewal to which the Spirit always calls God's Church." 

"I invite priests and the faithful to make frequent and intense use of this 
Catechism," the Pope said. He said the work is particularly useful as we 
approach the millennium-- the "anniversary of the Incarnation of God's Word." 

The new edition, which will be the authoritative edition, will be made public 
tomorrow in Rome.





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope must persevere, African cardinal says

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=35199

Pope must persevere, African cardinal says 

Yaounde, Feb. 10 (CWNews.com) - As Catholic prepared for ceremonies marking the 
World Day for the Sick in Yaounde, Cameroon, the host archbishop said that Pope 
John Paul II (bio - news) should remain in office despite his illness. 

Cardinal Christian Tumi of Douala said that the Holy Father has become a 
worldwide example of courage and an inspiration for the elderly. "I think that 
the Pope has to persevere, despite his suffering," he said. The cardinal added: 
"For us, here in Africa, the chief cannot resign." 

Cardinal Tumi spoke to reporters on the eve of the World Day for the Sick 
ceremonies, which are being held in Cameroon this year. The annual observance 
coincides with the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. 

The cardinal remarked that the increasing difficulty that the Pope experiences 
in speaking must cause severe suffering. As he put it, "the silence of a pastor 
who has traveled across the entire world to proclaim the Gospel, in season and 
out of season, whether he is heard or not, must cost him a great deal." But he 
added that as long as the Pope remains mentally alert, he can continue to lead 
the Church. 

Cardinal Tumi said that all of the participants at the three-day meeting in 
Yaounde would be praying for the Pope's health and perseverance. He observed 
that a time when 'the world seems to have forgotten Africa," the faithful on 
that continent have always felt assured the John Paul II cares for their needs. 

In his message for this year's observance of the World Day for the Sick, which 
was made public last September, the Pope called for new efforts to fight the 
spread of the AIDS epidemic in Africa.






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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] The Forum: Papal resignation: a complex canonical issue

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=35136

The Forum: Papal resignation: a complex canonical issue 


special to CWNews.com 

Feb. 09 (CWNews.com) - The latest medical crisis of Pope John Paul II (bio - 
news), who has now been hospitalized for a week, has reignited media 
speculation about the possibility that the Pope might resign. Although that 
possibility always been dismissed by Vatican officials, the speculation in Rome 
persists. 

In a February 7 session with reporters, Cardinal Angelo Sodano (bio - news) 
suggested that the question of resignation should be left "up to the conscience 
of the Pope, who is guided by the Holy Spirit." The Holy Father himself has 
given every indication that he plans to continue serving as Roman Pontiff until 
his death.





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope blesses crowd from studio at St. Peter's Square

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.etaiwannews.com/World/2005/02/15/1108432220.htm

World

Tuesday, February 15, 2005 

Pope blesses crowd from studio at St. Peter's Square

2005-02-15 / Associated Press / 

Returning to the world's most storied pulpit for the first time since his 
health crisis, Pope John Paul II addressed a sea of worshippers from his studio 
in St. Peter's Square and gave with his presence what no cardinal's words could 
deliver: a strong assurance that he's on the rebound.

An aide delivered most of the message Sunday, but at the very end the pope's 
voice rang out clearly - "Happy Sunday to everybody. Thank you."

The 84-year-old pontiff looked alert as he waved to the crowd with a trembling 
hand. He gave a brief greeting before Argentine Archbishop Leonardo Sandri 
carried on with the message. Thousands of pilgrims broke into applause and some 
shouted "Viva il Papa" - Long live the pope.

"We meet again in this place to praise the Lord," the pope said in his message.

In a subtle rebuttal to rumors that he might step down, the pope told the 
crowd: "I always need your help before the Lord, for carrying out my mission 
that Jesus entrusted to me."

The Pope's Sunday address at St. Peter's is a cherished weekly tradition for 
Roman Catholics and its resumption was certain to come as a big relief for 
believers around the world. Thousands of people packed the square to catch a 
glimpse of the pope, who gave the blessing in his own voice.

"I thought he was amazing, given his age," said Catherine Kelly, visiting from 
Newcastle, England. Although John Paul's voice was weak "it was nice to hear 
him," said her brother, Terry Elsdon.

His message included an appeal for a kidnapped Italian journalist, Giuliana 
Sgrena, and others held hostage in Iraq.

John Paul's return to the Vatican coincided with his weeklong spiritual retreat 
that began Sunday, and had been scheduled before he fell ill. During that 
period all audiences will be suspended, including the pontiff's customary 
Wednesday public audience.

Speculation has mounted that John Paul, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, 
might resign. The debate was fueled last week when the Vatican's No. 2, 
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, declined to rule out that possibility, saying it was up 
to the pope's "conscience."

In an apparent effort to end such talk, a top cardinal said in remarks carried 
Saturday in an Italian newspaper that the pontiff was fully able to make 
decisions and that he probably would be able to travel to Cologne, Germany, in 
August for World Youth Day.

"I am in fact sure that ... he will continue to have the real capacity to work. 
... That is expressed not only in his speeches but in the decisions that are 
taken," Cardinal Camillo Ruini told La Repubblica.

On Friday, the pope's first full day out of the hospital, the Vatican's 
official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, also sought to quash resignation 
rumors with the headline: "The rudder is still in his hands."

No pope has resigned for centuries, and John Paul repeatedly has said he 
intends to carry out his mission until the end.

The 84-year-old pontiff was rushed to the Gemelli Polyclinic hospital on 
February 1 with flu and breathing difficulties. He returned to the Vatican on 
Thursday.

The following day, the pope sent a message of support to the ailing on the 
church's World Day of the Sick, but did not attend the Mass at St. Peter's 
Basilica.

In the message read out by Cardinal Ruini, the pope's vicar for Rome, John Paul 
said he felt "particularly close" to the sick.

"Your suffering is never useless, dear sick ones," the pope's message said. 
Pain is precious, he said, because it has a mysterious link to Christ's trial 
on the cross.

"For that reason the pope counts deeply on the importance of your prayers and 
your suffering," the message said. "Offer them up to the church and to the 
world, offer them also for me and for my mission as universal shepherd of the 
Christian people."

Ruini said the pope followed the service on television.

Since the pope's appearance this past Sunday from his hospital room window, 
some have worried about his future at the head of the church because his very 
brief words were almost entirely inaudible. The clearer delivery from his 
studio at St. Peter's was likely to help allay those fears.






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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Vatican tightens code for annulments

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/pope/story/0,12272,1408899,00.html

Vatican tightens code for annulments 

Sophie Arie in Rome
Wednesday February 9, 2005
The Guardian 

Facing an increasing number of marriage annulments, the Vatican
yesterday made its first move in 70 years to try to ensure that
Catholics do not win the Church's blessing to end their marriages for
the wrong reasons. 

"This code aims to help make it easier for the tribunals to ascertain
the truth," said Cardinal Julian Herranz, head of the Pontifical
Council for Legislative Texts, presenting an updated book of legal
guidelines called Dignitas Connubii (The Dignity of Marriage). 

The Catholic church does not recognise divorce, and annulment is the
only way for Catholics to remarry before the church. More than 500,000
annulments are granted by Roman Catholic diocesan tribunals each year,
most of them in America. 

[more at the link]

Half a million RCC annulments a year! Wow. I wonder what that is
as a percentage of married RCC members compared to the "average"
divorce rate.





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Death for the Pope

[meteorite_debris]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=128&e=12&u=/ucwb/deathforthepope

http://tinyurl.com/3n4al

Death for the Pope

By William F. Buckley Jr. 

At church on Sunday the congregation was asked to pray for the
recovery of the pope. I have abstained from doing so. I hope that he
will not recover. 

The seizure brought on by his dramatic trip to the hospital a week ago
suggests the international sense of his indispensability. Pope John
Paul (news - web sites) is a graphic figure in the lives of Catholics
and many non-Catholics. He is, of course, a towering theological
figure who has presided over the development of Catholic thought and
practice for the 26 years of his papacy. He is a major historical
figure, who began as a Catholic seminarian in a Poland subservient
first to a Nazi overlord (they hanged him in Nuremberg), then to a
communist overlord (nothing happened to him -- the communists are
never prosecuted). From that scene he succeeded to the Holy See, where
he was the symbol of hope and, after the communists fell, of triumph,
distinctive in his bid for international recognition as a God-fearing
man of good will. 

I remember him as he was leaving Havana to return to Rome. Fidel
Castro (news - web sites) was there to recite the diplomatic
amenities. The pope was standing on the gangway of his airplane and
suddenly rain fell. As John Paul spoke under an improvised parasol,
his three-minute farewell address evolved, in near-perfect Spanish,
into a homily on water's purifying mission. All of Cuba watched on
television, no doubt hoping, for an exhilarating moment, that Castro
would melt away, Cuba shriven from the antipodal reign of a tyrant who
came to power even before the pope did, and will outlast him. 

Unless it were to happen that Castro died tomorrow, and the pope a
week later; but we must see through the blur of the rain to realities
of the day, which are that the pope almost died the day that he was
taken to the hospital. "We got him by a breath," one medico leaked the
news, and another said, "If he had come in 10 minutes later, he would
have been gone." 

The temptation is, always, to pray for the continuation of the life of
anyone who wants to keep on living. The pope is one of these. In the
past, he recorded that he did not plan ever to abdicate, that he would
die on the papal throne. It is presumptuous, in thinking about John
Paul, to suppose that in arriving at that decision he was motivated by
vainglory. What exactly he had in mind we do not know, but can
reasonably assume that he was asserting pride in physical fortitude,
consistent with his days as a mountain climber and a skier. Perhaps
there is an element of vanity there. Not many sovereigns leave the
throne, except at the hands of embalmers. 

There is the further question, distinctive to the throne of St. Peter.
To leave it before death can be construed as forsaking a mission
charged by God almighty. That isn't the consensus of theologians. 

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican (news - web sites)'s secretary of
state, said simply, "If there is a man who loves the Church more than
anybody else, who is guided by the Holy Spirit ... that's him. We must
have great faith in the pope. He knows what to do." 

What to do includes clinging to the papacy as a full-time cripple, if
medicine, which arrested death by only 10 minutes, can arrest death
again for weeks and even months. But the progressive deterioration in
the pope's health over the last several years confirms that there are
yet things medical science can't do, and these include giving the pope
the physical strength to coordinate and to use his voice intelligibly.

So, what is wrong with praying for his death? For relief from his
manifest sufferings? And for the opportunity to pay honor to his
legacy by turning to the responsibility of electing a successor to get
on with John Paul's work? Muriel Spark commented in "Memento Mori":
"When a noble life has prepared old age, it is not decline that it
reveals, but the first days of immortality." That cannot be effected
by the hospital in which the pope struggles.






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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Italy - Papal Politics - Foreign Correspondent

[meteorite_debris]

http://abc.net.au/foreign/content/2005/s1300193.htm

Italy - Papal Politics

Broadcast: 15/02/2005

Reporter: Anne Maria Nicholson

LEAD STORY
SERIES 14
EPISODE 23

Synopsis

Who will be the next Pope?

Pope John Paul the Second's troubled health has prompted a frenzy of 
speculation about the succession. 

But while the corridors of the Vatican are filled with rumour and intrigue, the 
120-plus cardinals who will one day choose the next Pope are maintaining a 
strict code of silence.

Anne Maria Nicholson gives us a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the Vatican, 
persuading two prominent Cardinals, one from Italy and one from Africa, to talk 
frankly about the problems facing the Catholic Church.

"They're very charismatic men but very wary of the media. They're surrounded by 
minders and are reluctant to give interviews. We were lucky to get them just 
before the latest decline in the Pope's health as they're not talking now" 
Nicholson says.

Our story looks at the two major challenges that will face the next Pope – the 
rise of Islam in the developing world and the decline of faith in the old world.

We also talk to Australia's only Cardinal who will be voting in the Conclave, 
Cardinal George Pell, who was in Rome on Church business.

"Cardinal Pell is not talked about as a contender but he does have sway and is 
regarded as one of the leading figures in the most conservative wing of the 
College of Cardinals."

Cardinal Pell said voting for the Pope would be "a supremely important 
responsibility". "It'll be very important we don't get it wrong and it would be 
wonderful to get it right."





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Vatican resists European secularism

[meteorite_debris]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4253937.stm

Vatican resists European secularism 
 
A Spanish newspaper accused the Pope of stirring "absurd tensions"
The destiny of Europe is preoccupying the Vatican. 

It has complained of a "militant secularism" which, it says, is driving the 
Church out of public life in Europe. 

Cardinals have even complained of an "anti-Catholic inquisition". 

They have pointed to policies such as France's ban on conspicuous religious 
symbols in schools, the EU's rejection of a reference to God in the proposed EU 
constitution and Spain's proposals to legalise gay marriage. 

"In 2,000 years of the Church's existence, those trends have come and gone," 
Cardinal Martino, head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, told 
the BBC World Service's Assignment programme. 

"There is a trend to exclude the Catholics, who are sent into a ghetto." 

Buttiglione debacle 

In England and Wales, the Catholic Church issued a pamphlet ahead of European 
elections, saying that voters should draw on religious teaching when they come 
to vote. 

"There are matters that are common to both politicians and believers," Cardinal 
Martino said. "The Church has to have its say." 


 
 It is the traditional liberal distinction between the public and private 
sphere that has been violated 

Rocco Buttiglione 

Some in the Vatican saw the case Rocco Buttiglione - a close personal friend of 
the Pope - as one of the most high-profile examples of secular views triumphing 
over Christian concerns. 

Italy nominated Mr Buttiglione as EU Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, 
but he was rejected by MEPs after describing homosexuality as a "sin". 

He told Assignment he felt he had been excluded "because of [my] religious 
beliefs." 

"In a liberal state, you evaluate the political line and the political ideas of 
a candidate, and you do not impose upon him an inquisition, or a conscience 
police," he said. 

"That is what has been done in the European Parliament against me." 

Mr Buttiglione described the MEPs' stance as a "violation" of "the traditional 
liberal distinction between the public and private sphere". 

'Militant Christians' 

This is not the first time the Vatican has complained about the impact of 
secularism. 

 
Some cardinals fear Catholics may be "ghettoised"
After it lost the Papal States in 1870, the city state developed a distrust of 
secular rulers - with Pope Pius X complaining that "God has been driven out of 
public life by the separation of Church and state". 

But Franco Pavoncello, a political scientist at John Cabot University in Rome, 
says he is "surprised" by Vatican fears that secular Europe and the Catholic 
Church may be on a collision course. 

"If there is one overwhelming aspect of Europe, it is the homogeneity of 
religion," he said. 

"This is a continent that has been characterised by its Christianity." 

But Mr Pavoncello said it was possible there had been a "return to more 
militant Christian values" amongst some Europeans because of the influence of 
Islam. 

The Pope has urged bishops in Spain to defend traditional values, in opposition 
to the ruling Socialist Party's reforms. 

These reforms include allowing gay marriages - supported, polls suggest, by the 
majority of the population - and broad-based teaching of religion in schools, 
not just focusing on Christianity. 

'Adapt without disappearing' 

The Vatican says the reform programme is "promoting contempt or ignorance of 
religion". 

But Spanish Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar insisted that "we are 
just doing our job". 

"We are accountable to the citizens, not to the Catholic Church. 

"This is a secular society. We are ready to pay respect to every religious 
freedom in Spain, but we're also ready to promote our legislative initiative, 
and fulfil our duties." 

Mr Aguilar stressed that the Catholic Church had "gone public, and very 
strongly so," with remarks that it is a "sin" to wear a condom, or to have sex 
before marriage. 

"With considerations such as those... it is difficult to open room for 
compromise," he argued. 

Father Vivas Sotto, of Spain's Family Forum group, said the government's 
proposals "don't just affect the Church - they affect all of society". 

"When life's dignity is forgotten and abortion is promoted, when embryos are 
not considered, when the richness of marriage is undervalued, that fundamental 
part of society is being undermined," he added. 

In the Spanish media, reaction to the Vatican's pronouncements has been mixed. 

The daily El Pais accused the Pope of stoking "absurd tensions". But El Mundo 
urged both sides to "cool it". 

"The message [from the government] is the Catholic Church is old, it's 
completely retrograde, it's associated with Franco and Francoism - that dark, 
inquisitorial Spain," said Kayatana Elvorez Detoledo, El Mundo's leader writer. 

"That's not strictly true, of course. The Vatican has a very difficu

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope health poses Vatican dilemma

[meteorite_debris]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4250543.stm

Pope health poses Vatican dilemma

By Peter Gould 
Religious affairs analyst, BBC News 

The latest health scare for John Paul II may be a sign that his illness has 
entered a new phase. 

 
The Pope's illness poses a real challenge to ancient Vatican law 

The present crisis was triggered by flu, with Vatican aides becoming alarmed 
when the Pope began to have difficulty breathing. 

But the underlying problem is the progressive debility brought on by 
Parkinson's disease, an illness he has endured for more than 10 years. 

The 84-year-old pontiff is now so frail that even a common ailment like flu 
carries a serious risk of complications. 

The Pope is now largely confined to a wheelchair. 

He tires quickly and frequently has difficulty speaking. 

Sometimes he has to write notes to make his wishes clear. 

'Lucid moments' 

John Allen, the Vatican correspondent of the National Catholic Reporter, says 
the Pope has good days and bad days. 

"There are moments when he is lucid, quite alert, processing information, 
responding intelligently," he says. 

 
The Catholic faithful were not ready to accept the contemporary presence of two 
popes - one retired pope, and one acting pope 

Marco Politi, Vatican expert 

Life goes on at the Vatican 

"There are other moments when - to use American slang - he does seem to be a 
little bit out of it. 

"I think the ratio of good moments to bad moments is increasingly going to skew 
in the favour of the bad." 

And around the Vatican, there is a sense that this latest episode marks a new 
stage in the physical decline of the man elected Pope in 1978. 

In past centuries, a sick pope either got better or died fairly quickly. 

Father Thomas Reese, author of the book Inside the Vatican, believes that in 
the modern world, with all the advances of medical science, the Church is 
facing a dilemma. 

"Suppose the Pope goes into a coma, or suppose a Pope becomes mentally 
unbalanced," he says. 

"If it gets to that kind of a situation where the Pope is very sick and can't 
function, but he's not even well enough to resign, then we don't know what to 
do. 

JOHN PAUL II 
1920: Born Karol Wojtyla near Krakow, Poland 
1946: Ordained a priest 
1964: Appointed Archbishop of Krakow 
1978: Elected Pope and takes name of John Paul II 

Profile: Pope John Paul II 
The Pope's hospital 

"In the Catholic Church there is no procedure for dealing with a pope who 
becomes incapacitated. 

"This could cause a major constitutional crisis in the Church, because medical 
technology today can keep someone alive way beyond the point where they are 
capable of functioning." 

Over the centuries, the tradition has been for popes to die in office, rather 
than retire. 

Marco Politi, one of Italy's leading commentators on the papacy, says the 
Vatican considered the issue of resignation a few years ago. 

"The Pope submitted the question to a secret group of advisers," he says. 

"They said the Catholic faithful were not ready to accept the contemporary 
presence of two Popes - one retired Pope, and one acting Pope." 

Election? 

Under Church law, a papal resignation can only be only valid if it is 
voluntary. The problem is what happens if the pontiff is unable to clearly 
state his wishes. 

It is rumoured that the Pope has written a letter, telling the Church to hold 
an election if he becomes mentally incapacitated. 

 
Senior officials are running the Vatican whilst the Pope is ill

However, senior Vatican officials have repeatedly denied knowledge of any such 
document. 

If John Paul II struggles on, his health becoming steadily worse, more of the 
day-to-day running of the Church will inevitably be left in the hands of 
Vatican officials. 

John Wilkins, former editor of The Tablet, insists the Catholic Church needs 
the active involvement of its spiritual leader. 

"The Pope is essential, we can't get on without a pope," he argues. 

"Parkinson's disease could land us with a Pope in a coma, unable to in any way 
tell us what his wishes are, and in that case there is nothing in the Roman 
Catholic constitution which can deal with it." 

'Beginning of the end'

The Vatican has been at pains to point out that John Paul II has remained 
conscious throughout his hospital stay. 

But everyone now accepts the reality of his frail health. 

"Curtailing his schedule and carefully adjusting his medical regime are no 
longer sufficient to ensure he does not enter a zone of grave risk," says 
Allen. 

"There will be other sleepless nights in Rome, awaiting word about the pope 
after a potentially serious incident. 

"Ultimately, despite the best efforts of all involved, and the prayers of much 
of the world, one of these nights will be the beginning of the end." 

For now, the Catholic Church and its one billion followers can only pray for 
their ailing spiritual leader.






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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Profile: Pope John Paul II

[meteorite_debris]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1944464.stm

Profile: Pope John Paul II 
 
The Pope leads the world's largest Christian community
The appointment of Karol Wojtyla as Pope in 1978 was in many ways seen as a 
groundbreaking move for the Catholic Church. 

The first Polish pontiff - and at 58, the youngest Pope of the 20th Century - 
he had risen swiftly through the ranks of Catholic clergy to become Archbishop 
of Krakow. 

His career - although rapid - was not spectacular. Although respected, he was 
little known outside Vatican circles, and few experts tipped him as successor 
to Pope John Paul, who died after only 33 days in office. 

Karol Wojtyla took the name of John Paul II after being elected in a two-day 
session of the College of Cardinals sitting in the Sistine Chapel. 

Dynamic early life 

Born near Krakow in 1920, the young Karol Wojtyla devoted his energies to 
sports including football and skiing. An avid theatre lover, at one time he 
also considered becoming an actor. 

John Paul II 
1920: Born near Krakow, Poland 
1946: Ordained a priest 
1964: Appointed Archbishop of Krakow 
1978: Elected Pope 
During the Nazi occupation in World War II he studied theology - in hiding for 
part of the time - and was eventually ordained a priest in 1946. 

He was quickly promoted, becoming archbishop in 1964 and cardinal in 1967. 

An outside candidate, his approach to the papacy was dynamic. John Paul II has 
never been a man to remain shrouded behind the walls of the Vatican. 

 
Karol Wojtyla was ordained in 1946

He has travelled constantly. After his appointment, he quickly established 
himself as an instantly recognisable figurehead to the world's largest 
Christian community. 

He has visited more than 100 countries and is estimated to have effectively 
circled the globe 27 times. 

However his desire for closeness with people almost led to his death. In 1981 
he was shot and seriously wounded by a Mehmet Ali Agca, a Turkish fanatic, in 
St Peter's square. 

After a long recovery he visited and forgave his would-be assassin. 

Conservative views 

Despite the Pope's progressive, hands-on leadership, he is not without his 
critics, particularly over his views on contentious issues such as divorce, 
contraception and abortion. 

At a Vatican conference in 2001 he spoke out against laws allowing divorce, 
abortion, homosexual unions and rights for unmarried couples. 

 
The Pope has become increasingly frail in recent years
Critics both inside and outside the church say such views risk alienating many 
Catholics and are out of touch with a rapidly changing world. 

In recent years, the Pope has been dogged by ill health and has become 
increasingly frail. 

He had a tumour removed from his colon in 1992, dislocated his shoulder in 
1993, broke his femur in 1994 and had his appendix removed in 1996. 

In 2001 an orthopaedic surgeon confirmed what had been suspected for some time 
- that the Pope was suffering from Parkinson's disease. 

In October 2003, St Peter's square in Rome was filled with pilgrims from around 
the world as Pope John Paul II celebrated his Silver Jubilee. 

Just five months later, on 14 March 2004, the remarkable life of the pontiff 
reached another milestone when his papacy became the third-longest in the 
history of the Catholic Church. 

The Pope marked his 84th birthday in May of that year, but despite 
deteriorating health has refused to let up his gruelling schedule of 
appearances and foreign trips. 

The Pope holds a weekly audience on Wednesdays and until his latest bout of ill 
health led to the cancellation of his engagements, had not missed one since 
September 2003.





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] A quiz on JP2

[meteorite_debris]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3197426.stm

What do you know about the Pope?





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Can John Paul II Outlast All His Electors?

[meteorite_debris]

An interesting usenet post on Google by Louis Epstein in the newsgroup 
alt.obituaries.

***
Can John Paul II Outlast All His Electors?

http://www.google.com.au/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=Af2dnXIVw4ukNI_fRVn-tQ%40fcc.net&rnum=1

http://tinyurl.com/6mb6m

There are only three surviving Cardinals now aged under the limit of 80
set by Pope Paul VI for participation in the conclave,who were already
Cardinals the last time there was a conclave to participate in.

Cardinals Baum and Sin were elevated in 1976 and Cardinal Ratzinger in 
1977;Baum and Sin are both in poor health and were born in 1926 and 1928
respectively,and Ratzinger was born in 1927.

If they either die or age out before the Pope does,the next conclave
would be the first one since 1389 (during the Great Schism) without
any elector who had participated in a conclave before...and in 1389
there were only thirteen participaing Cardinals!

Leaving out all intervening conclaves as 
well as all Cardinals who later became
Pope themselves...

In 1978 
Sin,Baum,and Ratzinger
participated along with
Giuseppe Siri and Stefan Wyszynski, 
who in 1958
participated along with
Eugene Tisserant,Giuseppe Pizzardo,Federico Tedeschini,
Josef-Ernst Van Roey,Manuel Goncalves Cerejeira,Achille Lienart,
Pietro Fumasoni Biondi,Maurilio Fossati,Elia Dalla Costa,
Ignace Gabriel I Tappouni,Santiago Luis Copello,Pierre-Marie Gerlier,
and Nicola Canali,
who in 1939
participated along with
Gennaro Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte
who in 1914
participated along with
Serafino Vannutelli,Antoni Agliardi,Vincenzo Vannutelli,
Francesco de Paola Casetta,Jose Sebastiao Netto,Angelo di Pietro,
Michael Logue,Andrea Carlo Ferrari,Girolamo Maria Gotti,
Domenico Ferrata,Jose Martin de Herrera y de la Iglesia,
Giuseppe Francica Nava di Bontife,Agostino Richelmy,
Lev Skrbensky z Hriste,Giulio Boschi,Bartolomeo Bacilieri,
and Francesco Salesio della Volpe,
who in 1903
participated along with
Luigi Oreglia di Santo Stefano
who in 1878
participated along with
Luigi Amat di San Filippo e Sorso,
Friedrich Johannes Jacob Celestin von Schwarzenberg,
Fabio Maria Asquini,and Domenico Caraffa di Traetto,
who in 1846
participated along with
Carlo Oppizzoni and Tommaso Riario Sforza,
who in 1823
participated along with
Giulio Maria della Somaglia and Fabrizio Dionigi Ruffo,
who in 1799/1800
participated along with
Gianfrancesco Albani da Urbino,Henry Mary Benedict Stuart,
who in 1758
participated along with
Alessandro Albani,
who in 1724
participated along with
Benedetto Pamphili,
who in 1689
participated along with
Alderano Cybo,Francesco Maidalchini,and Carlo Barberini,
who in 1655
participated along with
Carlo de Medici,
who in 1621
participated along with
Antonio Maria Sauli,Benedetto Giustiniani,
and Francesco Maria Bourbon del Monte,
who in 1590
participated along with
Girolamo Simoncelli,
who in 1555
participated along with
Francesco Pisani,
who in 1521
participated along with
Bernardino Lopez de Carvajal,Domenico Grimani,Francesco Soderini,
Alessandro Farnese,Niccolo Fieschi,and Marco Cornaro,
who in 1503
participated along with
Oliviero Carafa,
who in 1471
participated along with
Guillaume d'Estouteville and Johannes Bessarion,
who in 1447
participated along with
Prospero Colonna,
who in 1431
participated along with
Giordano d'Orsini
who in 1406
participated along with
Angelo Acciaioli
who in 1389
was among those thirteen.







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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Choosing the next pope

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.misterpoll.com/3615007184.html

Vote for the region that the next pope should come from.

Results

>From where in this world should John Paul 2's eventual successor be chosen?

Africa (20%)


Italy (19%)


Western Europe (15%)


North America (14%)


South America (12%)


Asia (5%)


Other (5%)


Eastern Europe (3%)


Central America (3%)


2283 total votes






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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Lent in the Vatican: The Pope, the Curia, and the Conclave

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=22533&eng=y

Lent in the Vatican: The Pope, the Curia, and the Conclave

Sickness is not preventing John Paul II from fighting out his last battle. But 
in the meantime, maneuvers over his succession are underway. The contenders are 
Ratzinger, three Italians, and one outsider

by Sandro Magister 

ROMA, February 11, 2005 – From the microphone in his room on the tenth floor of 
the general hospital operated by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 
"Policlinico Gemelli," John Paul II's post-Angelus blessing came to St. Peter's 
Square, his voice hoarse and broken. In addition to his infirmity, silence will 
now be increasingly more pronounced in the life of this pope. But nothing can 
stop him, much less induce him to resign: "Here in the hospital, too, I 
continue to serve the Church and all humanity." 

The Angelus of Sunday, February 6, carried by television stations all over the 
world, was a trailer, a preview of the next phase of the pontificate. This was 
true of both the images and the soundtrack. 

In St. Peter's Square, among the green balloons carried by members of the 
Movement for Life, stood Cardinal Camillo Ruini, John Paul II's vicar for the 
diocese of Rome and president of the Italian bishops' conference. 

By the pope's side at the window of the hospital could be seen Argentine 
archbishop Leonardo Sandri, the substitute secretary of state, and the young 
Polish priest Mietek, a fresh reinforcement for the pope's personal 
secretariat. 

The pope entrusted the reading of his message to Sandri, as he has done more 
and more frequently for almost two years. 

Fr. Mietek held in front of the pope a sheet with the Latin blessing and final 
"thank you" printed in large characters. The pope had wanted to say these words 
personally, and did so, with some difficulty. 

Sandri is, in effect, the curia. He's the one who makes the wheels turn, 
cardinal secretary of state Angelo Sodano's faithful and shadowy man of action. 
John Paul II has never taken charge of the ordinary governance of the Church; 
he has always delegated it to the Roman curia. And now that his strength is 
diminished, this delegation has become more broad and is reinforcing the power 
of Sodano and his men. The rule is that the head of each dicastery should leave 
his office when he reaches 75. Sodano will turn 78 in November, but he's still 
at his post. The pope didn't want to lose him. 

Joseph Ratzinger, who will turn 78 in April, is another one of these elderly 
cardinals who are irremovable due to the wishes of John Paul II. If Sodano 
governs the politics of the Church, Ratzinger is the one who watches over its 
doctrine. He has done so for twenty-three years, as head of the Congregation 
for the Doctrine of the Faith. 

Among the 119 cardinals who currently have the right to participate in the 
conclave, Ratzinger is one of only three remaining who elected Karol Wojtyla in 
1978: all of the others received the purple from the reigning pope. But his 
star is not on the decline by any means. There is a widespread group, and not 
only within the curia, campaigning for Ratzinger as the next pope. It is a 
group that made the cover of "Time" a month ago. Age is not a barrier, they 
note: Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was elected at 77 years of age, and then 
convened Vatican Council II, no less, a revolution in the Church of the 20th 
century. Ratzinger's supporters now want him as pope precisely in order to 
repair the failures of that revolution and to guide the Church along a sure 
path. 

But there is another circle in the curia that is even closer to John Paul II: 
it is the one seen at the window of the February 6 Angelus in the person of Fr. 
Mietek. The leader of this circle is Stanislaw Dziwisz, from Poland, Wojtyla's 
personal secretary since he was the bishop of Krakow. Its second-in-command is 
another Polish archbishop, Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council 
for the Laity and the author of the pope's most important speeches. 

Dziwisz is much closer to John Paul II than were the previous papal 
secretaries, Pasquale Macchi, with Paul VI, and Loris Capovilla, with John 
XXIII. Pope Wojtyla's infirmity and difficulties in speaking have expanded his 
role even more. During the first days of the pope's recovery in the hospital, 
no other head of the curia who rushed to visit him had access to his room, not 
even the powerful cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. Dziwisz was the only one who 
stayed at the side of the illustrious patient day and night. And in the 
following days, when the first visitors came to the pope's bedside, precedence 
went to the churchmen in his secretary's good graces, like the bishop of Terni, 
Vincenzo Paglia, a member of the Community of Saint Egidio and an aspiring 
successor to Ruini as the pope's cardinal vicar. 

Nevertheless, the presence of cardinal Ruini in St. Peter's Square at the 
Angelus of February 6, and to a g

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope's abortion-Holocaust remark panned

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0502200078feb20,1,4940418.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

http://tinyurl.com/52uzc

Pope's abortion-Holocaust remark panned

Items compiled from Tribune news services
Published February 20, 2005

FRANKFURT, GERMANY -- A German Jewish leader criticized the pope Saturday for 
making what he called an unacceptable comparison between abortion and the 
Holocaust in a new book.

Paul Spiegel, the head of Germany's Central Council of Jews, told the 
Netzeitung daily that Pope John Paul II's comparison reflects similar 
"unacceptable" statements made by Roman Catholic Cardinal Joachim Meisner in 
Cologne.

Spiegel was referring to a passage in the pope's book, "Memory and Identity: 
Conversations Between Millenniums," where the pontiff draws a broad comparison 
between abortion and the Holocaust, saying both came about when people decided 
to usurp "the law of God."







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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] POPE, NEW BOOK: ABORTION IS LIKE HOLOCAUST

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.agi.it/english/news.pl?doc=200502181631-1207-RT1-CRO-0-NF11&page=0&id=agionline-eng.oggitalia

http://tinyurl.com/3vuy2

POPE, NEW BOOK: ABORTION IS LIKE HOLOCAUST

(AGI) - Vatican City, Feb. 18 - The Pope considers the laws on abortion in many 
countries to Nazism, abortion itself to the holocaust. In his view, both 
phenomena "clash with the law of God". That's what he wrote in his last book, 
"Memory and Identity. Conversations between the millenniums", out next week. 
Rumours have it that the Pope warns the people of Eastern Europe not to follow 
the nihilism of the west. The 140 page book is not an autobiography, nor a 
series of essays: it's written version of the talks the Pope had in the 90's 
with philosophers Krystof Michalski and Jozef Tishner, regarding the main 
events of the 20th century. The Pope turns to the peoples now free from the 
Soviet rule, telling them to resist the temptation to follow western Europe's 
secularised cultures. "The main threat is that central Europe's identity may be 
subdued, with the risk of following the negative culture of the west". The Pope 
writes that during the struggle against communism "this part of Europe 
completed its spiritual path thanks to important values, underestimated in the 
west. There, the conviction that God is the highest guarantor of man and human 
rights is still strong". (AGI) - 
181631 FEB 05






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~-> 

"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope has surgery to aid breathing

[meteorite_debris]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4296035.stm

Pope has surgery to aid breathing 
 
The Pope has been in frail health for several years
Pope John Paul II has undergone surgery to help him breathe more easily, after 
being admitted to hospital with flu-related breathing problems. 

A Vatican spokesman said the operation to give the Pope a tracheotomy had been 
successful. 

The procedure involves making a hole in the throat through which a tube is 
inserted to assist breathing. 

The 84-year-old Pope spent 10 days in Rome's Gemelli Hospital earlier this 
month suffering flu symptoms. 

He went home on 10 February. 

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the tracheotomy, usually performed 
under general anaesthesia, was completed in "a positive way" and lasted 30 
minutes. 

The Pope, who gave his consent for the operation, will spend the night in his 
hospital room, Mr Navarro-Valls added. 

Medical experts say the operation is routine, but will make it more difficult 
for the Pope to talk. 

Fever 

After being discharged from hospital two weeks ago, the Pope seemed to have 
been recovering well, appearing twice at his Vatican study window to greet 
pilgrims. 

THE POPE'S ILLNESS 
1 Feb: Rushed to hospital suffering from "breathing difficulties brought on by 
flu"
4 Feb: Health improving and he is eating normally, Vatican says
6 Feb: Appears at window of hospital room and reads the final lines of the 
Angelus blessing in hoarse voice
9 Feb: Misses Ash Wednesday services at the Vatican for first time in 26 years 
10 Feb: Returns to Vatican in motorcade, waving to crowds
13 Feb: Appears at Vatican for Sunday blessing for first time since leaving 
hospital
22 Feb: Launches new book in which he compares abortion with the Holocaust
24 Feb: Returns to Gemelli hospital after suffering a relapse of his flu 
condition. Has tracheotomy 

Gemelli: The Pope's hospital

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Navarro-Valls said the Pope had suffered a return of 
flu symptoms on Wednesday afternoon and was admitted to hospital for further 
specialist treatment and checks on Thursday morning. 

Italian news agency Ansa said the Pope was conscious as he arrived at hospital. 
He is reported to have had breathing difficulties and a fever. 

The BBC's Robert Pigott says the Vatican has been keen to show the Pope's 
health in the best possible light to dispel speculation he may not be able to 
continue in the role. 

He says the pontiff has looked frailer since his admission to hospital earlier 
this month. 

On Wednesday the Pope gave a "virtual" general audience, addressing thousands 
of pilgrims via a television link from his study. 

Ceremony missed 

Although he sounded hoarse, the 25-minute address was his longest public 
appearance since leaving hospital. 


HAVE YOUR SAY 
 I hope the Holy Father will soon be well again 

Teresa, Cospicua, Malta

Send us your comments
But the pontiff, who has Parkinson's disease and arthritis, failed to attend a 
scheduled Vatican engagement on Thursday morning to approve the declaration of 
new saints. 

It was the first time he had missed the ceremony, known as a consistory, in his 
26 years as Pope. 

During his previous spell in hospital, he had also missed Ash Wednesday 
services at the Vatican for the first time while pontiff. 

At times in the past three years he has had difficulty completing speeches and 
tires very quickly during public appearances. 

The appearance of the pontiff, with his bent frame and trembling hands, 
sometimes shocks pilgrims who attend audiences at the Vatican





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] The papacy from the howstuffworks.com site

[meteorite_debris]

http://people.howstuffworks.com/papacy.htm

Lots of general info from an unexpected source. Usually a tech type site.









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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
Yahoo! Groups Links

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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope's condition satisfies doctors

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1310868.htm

Pope's condition satisfies doctors

Doctors are "very satisfied" with how Pope John Paul withstood tracheotomy 
surgery today, a top Italian Government official says.

Gianni Letta, a top aide to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has visited the 
hospital and spoken with the Pope's physicians.

He says the Pope had joked with doctors before the 30-minute operation, which 
was intended to help him breathe. 

Afterwards, he managed a small wave.

"He was well and calm," Mr Letta said.

"Doctors are very satisfied with how the Pope withstood surgery and with the 
first few hours of the immediate post-operative period."

Mr Letta says doctors had told the Pontiff it would be a small operation, to 
which he had replied: "Depends what you mean by small." 
Emergency surgery

The 84-year-old Pontiff underwent the surgery hours after being rushed to 
hospital for the second time in a month following a relapse of his flu. 

In the procedure, for which the he was put under a general anaesthetic, an 
incision is made in the neck and a section at the front of the windpipe is 
removed to allow a tube to be fitted that will act as an airway. 

Complete healing can be expected in healthy patients within about two weeks.

However, the Pope's doctors will be particularly concerned about the 
possibility of infection, given his advanced age and his Parkinson's disease. 

The Vatican is expected to give an update on the pope's condition later today.

Spokesman Navarro Valls says the the operation was deemed necessary because the 
Pope had suffered "renewed episodes of acute breathing insufficiency".

The Pope's surprise admission to hospital shocked the Roman Catholic Church.

It is likely to renew debate among cardinals and Vatican advisers about his 
ability to continue to lead the Church. 

Cardinal Camillo Ruini, head of the Italian bishops' conference, has called on 
the faithful to pray for the pope, "to keep him in his mission, for the good of 
Rome, the Church and humanity". 

- AFP/Reuters





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Surgery Points to Pope's Ill Health

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51492-2005Feb24.html

Surgery Points to Pope's Ill Health

Incision in Windpipe Should Allow Unobstructed Access to Airways

By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 25, 2005; Page A16 

The decision by the pope's doctors to perform a tracheostomy -- an incision in 
the neck directly into the trachea, or windpipe -- is a strong indication that 
John Paul II's condition is quite serious, medical specialists said yesterday. 

"It's a major development," said Martin J. Blaser, chairman of medicine at New 
York University Medical Center in Manhattan and president-elect of the 
Infectious Diseases Society of America. "This is not a good sign." 

The operation allows a patient to breathe through that new opening instead of 
through the nose and mouth. Although it is commonly used to provide an 
alternative airway for patients with a breathing obstruction, its use in the 
pope is almost certainly not for that but for any of three other common 
reasons, doctors said. 

• Suction: At a minimum, a tracheostomy allows easy access to the trachea so 
doctors and nurses can periodically suction from the airway the fluids that 
accumulate as a result of pneumonia -- an infection in the lungs, which the 
pope appears to have. 

• Preventing reinfection: The elderly and the frail often develop pneumonia as 
a result of aspirating bacteria from their mouth or nasal passages into their 
lungs. That is especially true of patients with Parkinson's disease, the 
progressive neurological disorder that has long afflicted the pope. Such 
patients lose control over their epiglottis, the fleshy barrier that separates 
their food-carrying esophagus from the trachea, which when healthy should 
remain sterile. By bypassing the upper respiratory tract, a tracheostomy offers 
a cleaner air supply. And its need suggests that the pope has been suffering 
not from influenza or a cold but from repeated aspiration pneumonias, perhaps 
the most common cause of death for Parkinson's patients. 

• Emergency airway access: If the pope should stop breathing on his own and it 
becomes necessary to place him on a mechanical ventilator, a tracheostomy will 
make the procedure easier. Otherwise it is necessary to perform an emergency 
intubation through the mouth, which can be difficult and traumatic in a patient 
as frail as the pope. 

Tracheostomies are often temporary, but this instance is likely to be longer 
term, doctors said, because the pope will have more difficulty keeping his 
lungs clear with Parkinson's. And although people can live a long time with 
tracheostomies, the artificial openings carry risks, including infections from 
bacteria that can colonize the incision. 

"People with trachs get complications from trachs," Blaser said. 

For the pope, whose power is so vested in the spoken word, a tracheostomy also 
raises profound issues of communication. It is impossible to speak with an open 
tracheostomy. Valves and other devices can temporarily close the artificial 
opening so that air can be redirected upward through the vocal cords, allowing 
understandable, albeit distorted, speech. 

One question that remained yesterday was whether the pope's doctors would be 
willing to have the tracheostomy closed for even short periods to allow speech, 
as that would pose a renewed risk of lung infection from the upper respiratory 
tract.





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope's Health Leaves Sainthood In Question For Cope, Damien

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/news/4230979/detail.html

Pope's Health Leaves Sainthood In Question For Cope, Damien

POSTED: 3:52 pm HST February 24, 2005
HONOLULU -- Pope John Paul II's illness has cast a shadow on the sanctification 
of two missionaries to Molokai.

Those behind the beatification of Mother Marianne Cope of Molokai are not sure 
how the Pope's relapse might affect the beatification ceremonies scheduled for 
later this spring

Communities in Hawaii and in Syracuse, New York are planning for a May 18 
beatification ceremony in Rome.

Cope was the first U.S. missionary to work with Hansen's disease patients in 
Hawaii.

Organizers of the event say they may be forced to work in contingencies since 
large groups are planning to make the trip to the Vatican for the event.

Father Damien's sainthood is also in jeopardy. The pope presided at Damien's 
beatification in Belgium nine years ago.

A Vatican representative is in Honolulu now investigating a miracle that 
should, if verified, be enough to grant Damien sainthood.

However, Belgian archivist Hilde Eynikel said the process could be stalled if 
John Paul fails to recover and his replacement is conservative.

"It's sometimes a matter of politics. At this moment, the dossier of Damien is 
frozen," Eynikel said.

In his papal tenure, John Paul II has declared more sanctifications than any 
previous pope. It's feared, without his support, the commission will table 
Damien's sainthood indefinitely.





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--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope's successor to reflect changes within the church

[meteorite_debris]

http://people.news.designerz.com/popes-successor-to-reflect-changes-within-the-church.html?d20050224

http://tinyurl.com/3wch3

Pope's successor to reflect changes within the church

VATICAN CITY (AFP)
Thursday February 24, 2005

Pope Paul John II's latest hospitalisation intensified speculation over who 
will succeed him, but whatever happens the choice is expected to reflect the 
profound changes within the Roman Catholic Church in the past decades.

The next pope will be elected in a secret conclave -- a meeting held under lock 
and key -- by the 120 cardinals under the age of 80, the maximum allowed under 
a law adopted in 1975 by Paul VI.

Of these 120 cardinals, nearly 100 have been appointed by John Paul II, and are 
likely, according to Vatican watchers, to reflect his conservative views in the 
choice of successor.

The next pontiff is virtually certain to come from among the cardinals 
themselves, although the prelates can in theory elect any baptized male. Pope 
Gregory XVI 1831 was a priest and Cardinal Alfonso Borgia, was a layman before 
becoming Pope Callistus III in 1455.

Until the election of John Paul II it used to be reasonable safe to predict 
that the next pope would be an Italian. But a split in the Italian camp in 1978 
accompanied by a last-minute push by a group of conservative, particularly 
Americans, brought about what was then considered a revolution -- the election 
of a Polish pontiff, the first non-Italian to head the See of Rome in 455 years.

Under John Paul II, the college of cardinals has become so internationalized 
and decentralized that the next pope could come from anywhere in the world, 
although there is a powerful sentiment to return to tradition and elect an 
Italian.

If this were to happen, strong candidates would include Archbishops Dionigi 
Tettamanzi, 70, of Milan, Angelo Scola, 63, of Venice, Tarcisio Bertone, 70, of 
Genoa, Angelo Sodano, 77, the Vatican secretary of state, and Giovanni Battista 
Re, 71, the head of the Vatican congregation or department for bishops.

Another important factor is age.

If the cardinals are reasonably unanimous about the policies they want the 
church to follow, they are likely to elect a young man, as Karol Wojtyla was on 
his election in 1978, to carry out these policies far into the future.

If they cannot agree on policies, they are more likely to choose an elderly 
candidate as a temporizing measure.

One of the key younger candidates cited by Vatican watchers is Archbishop 
Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, who is 60.

If the cardinals decide on a non-Italian candidate, the field is wide open.

Africa, where the church is facing competition from Islam and other 
confessions, has a strong candidate in Cardinal Francis Arinze from Nigeria , 
72, who heads the Vatican congregation for divine worship.

And there are four possible candidates from Latin America -- Archbishops Dario 
Castrillon Hoyos, 75, head of the congregation for the clergy; Oscar Andres 
Rodrigues Maradiaga, 62, of Tegucigalpa; Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 68 of Buenos 
Aires; and Claudio Hummes, 70, of Sao Paulo.

Once the cardinals are sealed off in an overcrowded set of rooms in the Vatican 
palace anything can happen. If experience is a guide, they are likely to start 
with a series of complementary votes for friends or candidates from their home 
region, before whittling down the field to a couple of key candidates thought 
capable of attracting the necessary two thirds plus one of the votes.

A key factor often ignored by outsiders is that the cardinals believe that the 
invisible presence of the Holy Ghost is with them in the Sistine Chapel guiding 
their decision.

It was put to one American cardinal that the choice in 1978 of Cardinal Albino 
Luciano, who reigned for only 33 days as Pope John Paul I, did not seem to be 
divinely inspired.

On the contrary, the cardinal replied -- it was the Holy Spirit's way of 
telling the cardinals they needed to break the Italian mold and elect a Pole as 
bishop of Rome.







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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pell backs Pope resolve to carry on

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.cathnews.com/news/502/151.php

Pell backs Pope resolve to carry on 

Sydney's Cardinal George Pell has said that Pope John Paul II should remain in 
his position as pontiff as long as he can communicate, despite being "gravely 
sick".

Cardinal Pell told the media that the Holy Father should continue to lead the 
church even if he can only communicate by writing.

"The Pope has said he is not going to retire, I accept that," said Pell, who is 
one of the cardinal-electors who will choose a new pope.

However, he said if the pope's health deteriorated badly, then other options 
may need to be considered.

"If the Pope would completely lose his faculties, and that looked as though 
that might go on for quite a while, then we've got a new situation," Pell told 
news agency Australian Associated Press after mass yesterday.

Pope John Paul II was rushed to hospital last Thursday for the second time this 
month suffering from complications of the flu and other ailments including 
Parkinson's disease. He is currently breathing through a hole in his throat 
after a tracheotomy on Thursday that left him unable to speak and dependent on 
written messages as his only means of communication.

Pell requested the congregation to pray for the Holy Father, whom he described 
as "gravely sick".

"He's gravely sick, he's been very sick for quite some time. He's obviously 
deteriorated further," said Cardinal Pell. "We don't know what the prognosis 
is. We should certainly pray for him at this time that his faith will remain 
strong and that he will be peaceful," he said after Sunday mass.

Pell, who will flies to Rome today on a pre-scheduled trip, is one of the 120 
cardinal-electors from around the world required to attend the closed conclave 
which meets in Rome's Sistine Chapel to elect Popes under the strict protocol 
set out in the church document, the Universi Dominici Gregis.

He said the trip has nothing to do with the Pope's health, adding: "I'm off to 
Rome tomorrow for a couple of meetings this week and a meeting next week.

"I'll be back today fortnight if nothing spectacular happens in the next week."

Meanwhile the Pope made a surprise appearance at his hospital window in Rome at 
9:00 pm last night Sydney time. This was the first sighting of him since 
undergoing surgery on his throat last Thursday. He was expected to miss his 
regular Sunday appearance.

Aides wheeled him to the window shortly after midday local time. He waved to 
the applauding crowd outside the Gemelli Hospital, made the sign of the cross 
and touched his throat briefly as he lingered at the closed window for a couple 
of minutes. 

SOURCE
Australian cardinal says pope to remain head despite being 'gravely ill' 
(Yahoo/AFP 27/2/05)
Pope appears at hospital window to give blessing (ABC News/AFP 27/2/05)

ARCHIVE
Pope set for tracheotomy procedure (CathNews 25/2/05)
Mixed signals on Pope recovery (CathNews 23/2/05)
New Pope book hits Jewish sensitivities (ICathNews 21/2/05)
Pope tells media to promote truth, not trash (CathNews 22/2/05)
Vatican official urges effort to reach lapsed Catholics (CathNews 4/6/04)
Pope again encourages use of Internet for evangelisation (CathNews 18/2/04)
Vatican official urges advertising that promotes human dignity (CathNews 
29/10/03)
64% in US use Internet for religious reasons (CathNews 19/5/04)
Pope says truth in media serves cause of peace (CathNews 26/3/03)

MORE STORIES
Pope needs our prayers: Pell (National Nine News/AAP 27/2/05)
Pell urges ailing Pope not to quit (The Sun-Herald 27/2/05)
Pope should stay on, says Pell (The Age 26/2/05)
Cardinal George Pell: Pope a `living symbol of unity' (Catholic Weekly 27/2/05)
Pope eating solid foods, breathing on own (Big News Network 26/2/05)
David Willey: Gossip rules at the Vatican (BBC 25/2/05)
Sick, Silent Pope to Skip Blessing for First Time (Reuters 27/2/05)
Catholics and Anglicans live opposite church dramas (Reuters 27/2/05)
Pope recovering well from tracheotomy operation (ABC Radio AM 26/2/05)
Medical experts fear for Pope (ABC 26/2/05)
Catholics face leadership questions (ABC Radio PM 25/2/05)
Pope John Paul waves from hospital window and asks for prayers (ABC Radio 
Australia 28/2/05)
Pope recovers from tracheotomy operation (ABC Radio The World Today 25/2/05)
Angelus without the Pope, people pray for his health, Pope greets crowds from 
hospital window (AsiaNews.it 27/2/05)
Dialogue between opposition and pro-Syrian faction urgent, says Maronite 
Patriarch (AsiaNews.it 27/2/05)
Pope's Blessing Given by Aide; `Pray for Me,' John Paul Says (Bloomberg 27/2/05)
Pope undergoes successful elective tracheotomy (Catholic News Service 24/2/05)
Pope spends calm night, breathes on own after tracheotomy (Catholic News 
Service 25/2/05)
Pope John Paul resting; breathing on own following tracheotomy (Catholic News 
Agency 25/2/05)
Quebec cardinals ask Canadians to pray for Pope (Catholic News Agency 25/2/05)
Pope recovering, but doctors voice concerns

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope appears at hospital window to give blessing

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1312118.htm

Pope appears at hospital window to give blessing

Pope John Paul II has made a surprise appearance at his hospital window in 
Rome, his first since undergoing surgery on his throat last Thursday. 

Aides wheeled the 84-year-old Pontiff to the window shortly after midday (local 
time).

John Paul II waved to the applauding crowd outside the Gemelli Hospital, made 
the sign of the cross and touched his throat briefly as he lingered at the 
closed window for a couple of minutes. 

The Pope, who had a tracheotomy to ease his breathing after a relapse of his 
flu, was unable to perform the official Sunday Angelus blessing at St Peter's 
Square, which was given in his name by an aide, Archbishop Leonardo Sandri. 

In a message read out by Archbishop Sandri to the thousands of pilgrims 
gathered in the Vatican square, the Pope urged the faithful to "pray for me". 

"I ask you above all to continue to accompany me with your prayers," the 
message said.

The Pope is missing giving the formal Sunday blessing for the first time in his 
pontificate. 

He had not been seen in public since Thursday, when he was readmitted to 
hospital for the second time in a month with a relapse of his flu.

Doctors performed a tracheotomy, inserting a tube into a hole in his throat to 
ease his breathing, later that evening. 

The Vatican, which on Friday said the Pope was recovering and eating with a 
healthy appetite, said it would provide an update on his condition on Monday 
(local time). 

"The current climate of penitence during Lent also helps us to better 
understand the suffering which, in one way or another, affects us all," John 
Paul II said in his message in an obvious reference to his own illness. 

"I want this message of comfort and hope to reach everyone, especially those 
who are going through difficult times, who are suffering in body and soul." 

-AFP





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] 2 more cardinals will become too old to vote in March.

[meteorite_debris]

2 more cardinals will become too old to vote in March.

Tomorrow do NASCIMENTO Alexandre turns 80 and will not be able to vote in the 
next conclave for the next pope. GONZÁLEZ ZUMÁRRAGA Antonio José turns 80 on 
the 18th of March. Since the date is worked out from the date of the first day 
of a conclave (usually 15 days after the death of a pope) then Cardinal 
Nascimento has effectively been barred for a couple of weeks and Cardinal 
Zumarraga will also be effectively barred in a few days.

http://tinyurl.com/5zysy

do NASCIMENTO Alexandre 

01.03.1925

Angola

Africa

GONZÁLEZ ZUMÁRRAGA Antonio José 

18.03.1925

Ecuador

America Latina






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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Half of Catholics in Poll Say Pope Should Serve Until He Dies

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/161/story_16170_1.html

Half of Catholics in Poll Say Pope Should Serve Until He Dies   

By Cathy Lynn Grossman
USA Today   


Five in 10 U.S. Catholics say the ailing Pope John Paul II should remain as 
pontiff until he dies, according to a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll. Meanwhile, one 
in four say it doesn't matter much to them who is chosen as his successor when 
the time comes.

As popular as John Paul is here -- 93% of Catholics in the poll have a 
favorable opinion of him -- the survey also finds most U.S. Catholics don't 
rate him among the greatest world leaders of their lifetime. 
[Click to learn more...]

The survey of 1,008 adults last weekend included 241 Catholics. The margin of 
error for questions asked of Catholics was +/--7 percentage points. 

Among the findings: 

* 51% of Catholics say John Paul should remain in his job until he dies. In a 
poll taken in October 2003, 49% said so. 

* 43% say he should step down for health reasons, compared with 50% in the 2003 
poll. 

* 6% have no opinion, compared with 1% in 2003. 

The pope may be unable to speak for at least several days. But the Vatican says 
he's able to communicate his thoughts to his aides. That's all church law 
requires in determining whether a pope is still performing his job. Major 
decisions -- from recognizing saints to naming bishops -- ultimately belong to 
the pope. But a vast and complex bureaucracy, the Curia, runs the global 
church's day-to-day operations. 

Living as a witness to faith even in times of suffering is a theological job 
description, says George Weigel, a theologian and author of the papal biography 
Witness to Hope. 

''The world should take the pope at his word. He's here for the job God led him 
to,'' Weigel says. ''But if he concludes that for the good of the church he 
needs to step aside as pope, he'll do it. 

''He could continue to give witness . . . and teach about suffering and show 
how Christians should approach death, and not be pope. Human life is 
meaningful, but it doesn't mean you have to keep your job.''

A little more than a third of Catholics in the poll, 38%, say they see John 
Paul II as one of the greatest world leaders of their lifetime. Twenty-five 
percent call him simply great. But 45% rank him good, average or below average. 

William D'Antonio, a sociologist at Catholic University of America in 
Washington, D.C., says he's not surprised by those results. 

''It's not 1958, when (Pope) Pius XII died and 70% of Catholics still attended 
Mass weekly. . . . Today, one in three Catholics attend Mass. Many are not 
swayed by the pope's teaching authority, and nearly half don't think they need 
a pope at all,'' says D'Antonio, who studies Catholic views. 

In the poll, 44% of Catholics say it matters a lot who succeeds this pope when 
he dies or steps down; 30% say it matters moderately. But 17% say it doesn't 
matter much, and 8% say it doesn't matter at all.






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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope's resiliency angers Newsweek writer

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=35588

Pope's resiliency angers Newsweek writer 

New York, Mar. 01 (CNA/CWNews.com) - William Donohue, president of the Catholic 
League for Civil and Religious Rights, has said Newsweek magazine should "pull 
the plug" on columnist Christopher Dickey after Dickey suggested in an article 
that Pope John Paul II (bio - news) continues to impose his will on the 
Catholic Church by his "stubborn" will to live. 

Dickey's article in the "Periscope" section of the March 7 edition of Newsweek 
is titled "He Has Willpower-- But No 'Living Will.'" 

Dickey said, "Even as the aged pope's body shuts down in the late stages of 
Parkinson's disease, his will to live-- and to impose his will on the Roman 
Catholic faithful-- remains as stubborn as ever." He later writes that if the 
Pope were to slip into a coma, "Could anyone-- would anyone-- pull the plug?" 

"When presidents like Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt continue in 
office despite poor health, they are regarded as courageous, even heroic," 
Donohue said, pointing out the contradictions. "What is really astonishing-- 
and maybe Dickey could address this-- is the extent to which this dictatorial 
pope is loved the world over."





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope speaks to top Vatican official in latest sign of recovery

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.680news.com/news/international/article.jsp?content=w030177A

Pope speaks to top Vatican official in latest sign of recovery


March 1, 2005 - 14:08

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope John Paul managed to speak in two languages with a top 
Vatican official Tuesday in the first clear sign the pontiff was regaining his 
voice after throat surgery.

The meeting with Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger reinforced Vatican statements that 
the 84-year-old Pope was making strides through vocal and respiratory therapy 
less than a week after receiving a breathing tube.

It also sent a message that John Paul may remain fully engaged in important 
church affairs from his 10th-floor suite at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic hospital.

"The Pope spoke with me in German and in Italian," said Ratzinger, a German who 
runs a powerful Vatican office that deals with issues of Roman Catholic 
doctrine. "I am happy to say that the Holy Father is fully alert mentally and 
also able to say the essential things with his voice."

Ratzinger did not elaborate on what the Pope said or how long he spoke, but his 
rare meeting with reporters strengthened the image the Vatican is putting 
forward: The Pope is rebounding and remains in control.

"He is well. His condition is improving," papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls 
told reporters at the hospital.

The Vatican has never officially confirmed the Pope's other major health 
concern, Parkinson's disease, which causes progressive loss of muscle control 
and was expected to complicate the pontiff's post-surgery progress. But 
Ratzinger indirectly acknowledged the Pope's condition, saying an association 
for Parkinson's sufferers wrote the Pope to express thanks for helping the 
"image" of those afflicted.

"The Holy Father has the courage to appear in public as a person who suffers 
and who continues to work," Ratzinger told Vatican Radio.

Navarro-Valls said the Pope "spent a good night" and celebrated mass in his 
hospital suite - where he made a surprise appearance at the window Sunday and 
touched his throat in a gesture widely interpreted as an apology that he had to 
remain silent.

Doctors had told the Pope to rest his voice for several days after the Thursday 
surgery. He is now undergoing daily therapy to learn to breathe and speak with 
the tube.

"Everything is normal," Navarro-Valls said. "He is a good patient."

The Vatican cancelled the Pope's Wednesday general audience, but there's been 
no decision yet on whether John Paul will appear again on Sunday. The Rome 
daily Il Messaggero reported that the pontiff hopes to say "Grazie," or "Thank 
you," at Sunday's prayers.

The Vatican has offered few precise details on the Pope's condition or given 
any idea when he might be able to leave the hospital. The next official health 
update is expected Thursday.

But it appears likely his current hospitalization will be longer than the last: 
10 days of treatment at Gemelli for breathing problems that began exactly a 
month ago, Feb. 1. Some Italian reports suggest the Pope could be under medical 
care until Easter - March 27 - even if there are no setbacks.

Britain's Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said it appeared the Pope will "do 
what he can" to manage top-level church affairs while undergoing medical 
treatment and therapy.

"Naturally (his duties) have been reduced in recent months and that will 
continue, to a certain extent, in the future depending on his health," 
Murphy-O'Connor told reporters. "I don't think anything dramatic has happened 
at this time."

A group of 55 Polish pilgrims from Olsztyn prayed beneath John Paul's room 
Tuesday, and brought him some presents from their hometown: Polish honey for 
the pontiff's throat and some drawings by children hospitalized in Olsztyn, 
said Viktor Nichtmauser, a member of the group.






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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Vatican Says Pope's Health Is Improving

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4521786

Vatican Says Pope's Health Is Improving

by Sylvia Poggioli 

All Things Considered, March 3, 2005 · One week after undergoing throat surgery 
to ease his breathing problems, Pope John Paul II's health is said to be 
improving. But there is no indication of when he will leave the hospital, and 
the Vatican has been restrained in offering details.









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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Frail but alert, pope reappears at hospital window to bless the faithful

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20050306T19-0500_76411_OBS_FRAIL_BUT_ALERT__POPE_REAPPEARS_AT_HOSPITAL_WINDOW_TO_BLESS_THE_FAITHFUL.asp

http://tinyurl.com/4pc7r

Frail but alert, pope reappears at hospital window to bless the faithful

AP
Monday, March 07, 2005



ROME (AP) - A frail Pope John Paul II reappeared yesterday at a window of the 
hospital treating him for his latest health crisis, giving the world its second 
glimpse of him since he was rushed back to the clinic with breathing trouble 11 
days ago.

Wearing his white vestments, the 84 year-old pope waved and made the sign of 
the cross to more than 500 cheering and weeping pilgrims who gathered in the 
damp chill at a small square with a view of his 10th-floor suite at Rome's 
Gemelli Polyclinic hospital.

The pope looked alert as he sat behind the closed window, repeatedly raising 
his arms to bless the crowd, but he did not speak during the brief three-minute 
appearance.

John Paul has been undergoing breathing and speech therapy at the clinic a few 
kilometres (miles) from the Vatican after undergoing surgery on February 24 to 
insert a breathing tube in his windpipe.

"He speaks through his suffering," Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a German who runs 
a powerful Vatican office that deals with issues of Catholic doctrine, told 
Italy's RAI television.

With the pope able to say only a few words with difficulty, the Vatican tapped 
Archbishop Leonardo Sandri - an Argentine from the Holy See's secretary of 
state office who has become the pope's official voice for the public - to again 
read out the Sunday prayer known as the Angelus and deliver the blessing to 
believers gathered at St Peter's.

"Again today I would like to renew my expression of gratitude for all those 
signs of affection that have reached me," the pope said in a greeting read out 
by Sandri.

"I am thinking, in particular, of the numerous cardinals, priests and groups of 
faithful, of ambassadors and of the ecumenical delegations that have come to 
the Gemelli Polyclinic in these days," John Paul's message said.

"I desire to give special recognition for the closeness of believers of other 
religions, chiefly Jews and Muslims. Some of them have wanted to come and pray 
here at the hospital. This for me is a comforting sign, for which I give thanks 
to God."

Enthusiastic Catholics danced on St Peter's Square as the pope was shown on a 
giant video screen.






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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Rise of Opus Dei under Pope has liberals concerned over succession

[meteorite_debris]

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/c80da488-8d1c-11d9-9d37-0e2511c8.html

Rise of Opus Dei under Pope has liberals concerned over succession
By Tony Barber 
Published: March 5 2005 02:00 | Last updated: March 5 2005 02:00


According to Roman Catholic Church rules, the choice of the next Pope will rest 
with the cardinals, currently numbering 118, who are under the age of 80 and 
who will hold a conclave in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel after John Paul II's 
death.

But some Church-watchers are asking to what extent the cardinals' decision will 
be guided by a conservative Catholic movement that has steadily increased its 
influence at the Vatican in the twilight years of John Paul's papacy.

Opus Dei, a movement founded in Spain in 1928, is often criticised by liberal 
Catholics for being secretive, elitist and tolerant of seemingly bizarre acts 
of physical self-punishment on the part of its devotees.

"One of the most powerful and reactionary organisations in the Roman Catholic 
Church today" is how Catholics For a Free Choice, a Washington-based liberal 
group, describes the organisation.

No one in the Church doubts Opus Dei's support for John Paul's theological 
conservatism and his hard line on sexual ethics, but the accusation of being a 
subversive "church within a church" cuts little ice with the organisation's 
85,000 members.

They stress their movement's spirituality and commitment to work and duty, and 
they take immense pride in the fact that Josemaria Escrivá de Balaguer, their 
founder, was made a saint by John Paul in October 2002.

It is, however, precisely John Paul's support for Opus Dei that has put the 
liberals' nerves on edge. Pope Paul VI, who reigned from 1963 to 1978, was 
famously cold towards Opus Dei, but all that has changed during John Paul's 
26-year papacy.

Not only was Escrivá canonised a mere 27 years after his death - an unusually 
speedy path to sainthood by Church standards - but in 1982 John Paul gave a 
special canonical status to Opus Dei. By making the movement a "personal 
prelature", he effectively stripped local bishops of control over Opus Dei's 
activities.

In the past four years, two Opus Dei churchmen have been awarded a cardinal's 
hat: Juan Luis Cipriani of Peru, and Julián Herranz, the Spanish-born president 
of the pontifical council for legislative texts.

Cardinal Herranz has emerged as one of the five or six prelates closest to John 
Paul during his recent illnesses, which have confined the 84-year-old Pope to 
hospital and have at times prevented him from communicating except by means of 
short handwritten notes to his immediate entourage.

Cardinal Herranz convenes occasional meetings with other cardinals at an Opus 
Dei-owned villa in Grottarosa in the Roman countryside, a practice that may 
assume more importance if it continues in the days before the next conclave.

Another of those in frequent close contact with the Pope is Joaquin 
Navarro-Valls, John Paul's ultra-loyal spokesman and a prominent Opus Dei 
layman.

Opus Dei's influence in the Church was on open display at Escrivá's 
canonisation, which was attended by 42 cardinals. Not all will take part in the 
next conclave, and those who do may not vote as a bloc, but it was a striking 
demonstration that Opus Dei's star was on the rise.

According to one Church-watcher, it is also noteworthy that the prelate who 
will be the most powerful figure in the Vatican between John Paul's death and 
the election of his successor has connections to Opus Dei. He is Cardinal 
Eduardo Martinez Somalo, the Vatican's Spanish-born "camerlengo", or 
chamberlain.

The cardinal, whose nephew is an Opus Dei priest, will have the responsibility 
of administering the Holy See's money and property until the next Pope is 
elected.

He will also arrange John Paul's funeral and prepare the conclave.

Some Catholic academics in Rome caution against reading too much into Opus 
Dei's influence at the Vatican. The outcome of conclaves, they emphasise, is 
all but impossible to predict, and Opus Dei is not especially powerful in the 
Italian Church, which will provide 20 of the 118 cardinal-electors.

"The Jesuits were strong under Pius XII, but now that is less true," noted one 
theologian, referring to the Pope who reigned from 1939 to 1958.






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"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
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shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Next pope: 'We are going to be surprised,' says Allen

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.the-tidings.com/2005/0304/papacies.htm

Next pope: 'We are going to be surprised,' says Allen   
By Paula Doyle  

As far as the next pope is concerned, expect the unexpected. 

That's the message National Catholic Reporter Vatican correspondent John Allen, 
Jr. stressed in his 2005 Religious Education Congress Feb. 20 workshop, "Four 
papacies, four futures for the church" highlighting four differing points of 
view among the 118 Cardinals under age 80 who will elect the future pope. 

Although Pope John Paul II has appointed all but three of the ardinals who will 
elect his successor, Allen said it is a misconception that the next pope will 
be similar to the current one.

"It doesn't work like that," declared Allen before a rapt audience of hundreds. 
"Colleges of cardinals appointed entirely by one pope do not elect a 
reproduction of that pope as his successor." 

This is borne out historically. For example, noted Allen, while Pope Pius XII 
appointed all but two of the 51 cardinals who elected his successor, the next 
pope elected was the "strikingly" different Pope John XXIII.

"We are going to be surprised by the next pope," said Allen. He remarked that 
one of the ways cardinals approach the election of the next pope is thinking 
about both the strengths and the weaknesses of the former pontificate. They'll 
look at "unfinished business" and consider how they can elect someone who can 
address pressing concerns. Allen said a majority of cardinals that he has 
interviewed identify the top three challenges facing the church as: internal 
church governance, growing secularization and the relationship between 
Christianity and Islam. 

While Pope John Paul II is generally acknowledged as a magnificent evangelist 
and wonderful source of moral authority, some cardinals feel he has been unable 
to get his hands around the internal administration of the church "in a fully 
satisfactory way," Allen explained. 

As far as affecting culture in the highly secularized, post-Christian western 
world, Pope John Paul II's record is viewed as "mixed," in contrast to his many 
accomplishments championing human rights in Eastern Europe and developing 
nations. Finally, there is a great sense among church prelates that the next 
pope is going to have to engage Islam even more than in the past.

"In the post-9/11 world, there is a terrific acknowledgement inside the College 
of Cardinals that very little is going to be more decisive in terms of where 
the world goes in the future than whether or not Islam and the Christian west 
can figure out a kind of 'modus vivendi,'" Allen remarked. Both "tough love" 
(Hawk) and "harmonious coexistence" (Dove) approaches to the question of Islam 
exist within the Vatican, noted Allen. 

Four futures

Allen identified four groups within the College of Cardinals based on their 
distinct points of view to current challenges facing the church. While the next 
pope will likely hail from one of these four parties, "no one party comes close 
to being a two-thirds majority" necessary to elect a pontiff, said the CNN 
Vatican analyst.

The first group within the College of Cardinals Allen identified represents the 
"Border Patrol." The core concern of cardinals in this group is the issue of 
maintaining Christian identity. Border Patrol cardinals --- including Cardinal 
Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, 
Cardinal Edward Egan of New York, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia and 
the Archbishop emeritus of Boston prelate, Cardinal Bernard Law --- fear 
cultural assimilation and would police religious/secular boundaries "with great 
vigilance." 

The second group, Allen dubbed the "Reform Party." The main concern of 
cardinals within this party is moving forward with the reforms of Vatican II. 
They are interested in continuing liturgical reform, collegiality (giving more 
power to bishops' conferences), promoting the laity's role in the church and 
ecumenism. Allen named Cardinal Roger Mahony in this group along with Cardinal 
William Keeler of Baltimore, as well as Cardinal Karl Lehmann and Cardinal 
Walter Kasper, both of Germany. Allen estimates that the Reform Party and the 
Border Patrol each represent about 20-25 percent of the electorate.

The third and largest group, according to Allen, encompasses the "Social 
Justice" contingent, which considers issues outside the church --- such as 
globalization, economic justice, racial relations and the fight against AIDS 
--- to be of main concern. Members from this party seek to promote 
understanding across cultural and ethnic divisions. American Cardinal Ted 
McCarrick from Washington, D.C., reflects the thinking of this group as well as 
Cardinal Juan Sandoval from Mexico, Cardinal Claudio Hummes from Brazil, 
Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga from Honduras, and many other cardinals from 
developing nations.

The fourth and final group Allen named "Integralists." Members of this 

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Covering a sick pope

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.the-tidings.com/2005/0311/difference.htm

Covering a sick pope
By George Weigel

Shortly after Pope John Paul II came home from his first February 
hospitalization, my NBC colleague, Keith Miller, sent me an e-mail. A foreign 
correspondent for decades, Keith has seen a lot in his time. But even he found 
"the level of speculation, rumor and innuendo that surrounded the pope's bout 
of ill health...amazing." 

What accounts for all this? Is it the press (as the Vatican would insist), or 
the Vatican's mishandling of the press (as the media would insist)? Perhaps 
it's a bit of both. 

Two false assumptions continue to blur the vision of a lot of journalists 
(although not, I'm happy to report, the people in charge at NBC or my friend 
John Allen, whose CNN commentary was level-headed and perceptive, as usual). 

The first false assumption is captured in a default phrase we've heard since 
1994: "the frail and failing pope" --- a phrase so common that it's assumed it 
must be true. Yet these ubiquitous adjectives obscure far more than they 
illuminate. The pope isn't "failing," if by "failing" we mean someone who's 
likely to die at any moment. As for "frail," when you touch John Paul II today, 
he still feels like the sturdy athlete he once was. 

Of course he's got a serious neurological problem and terrible arthritis in his 
knees; 26-plus years in the papacy have taken a considerable toll. But if 
"frail" connotes a porcelain figurine ready to shatter at any moment, that 
isn't the pope. A lot of the press corps believed its own "frail and failing" 
story-line --- and overly excited reporting (not to mention groundless 
speculation) followed.

The second false assumption that distorts reporting from Rome is the widespread 
conviction among reporters that the Vatican lies, or at least dissembles, about 
everything. Like every other institution of consequence in the world, the Holy 
See "manages" the news, in the sense of putting out the story it wants told. In 
this instance, though, as in previous cases when John Paul II was hospitalized, 
the story was, in the main, accurate --- if sometimes delayed longer than makes 
sense in a global 24/7 news environment. 

Still, if you believe "they're always hiding something important" or "they're 
always spinning," it's hard to see the facts for what they are. (At the 
beginning of the first February frenzy, I was trying to calm an interviewer 
who, following the "failing"/dissembling script, asked, "Well, then, why did 
they take the pope to the hospital so late at night?" "Because," I explained, 
"that's when he was feeling poorly.") 

It's certainly true that the higher echelons of the Curia could be more 
disciplined in their interactions with world press; ill-advised comments from 
one senior figure triggered a month-long sub-frenzy to the main frenzy, this 
time about a papal abdication being under active consideration among senior 
churchmen. On the other hand, that sub-frenzy was also the product of a media 
machine that, having been revved up to maximum RPMs, had to find something to 
justify staying at fever pitch for a while longer. 

I hope some lessons were learned in recent weeks. It's entirely possible that 
John Paul II will make many more trips to the Gemelli before he's called home 
to glory; it would be ridiculous if every future papal hospitalization 
triggered frantic speculation and rumor-mongering. 

By the same token, the codicil to this first lesson is that people really do 
care; the outpouring of concern for the Holy Father bore global witness to the 
unique place he holds in the hearts of men and women around the world, many of 
whom aren't Catholics. So attention should be paid --- if it's serious, 
sober-minded attention, not fevered, groundless speculation.

The other lesson to be taken from last month's drama is that the cast of 
characters isn't necessarily in place for the next conclave --- at least not 
yet. Don't be surprised, for example, if John Paul II creates new cardinals at 
some point this year. 

All of which brings to mind a truth neatly articulated by that great 
metaphysician, Lawrence Peter (Yogi) Berra: "It ain't over 'til it's over."

George Weigel is a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in 
Washington, D.C.





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"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
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shall not prevail against it."
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope staying in hospital

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.indiadaily.com/breaking_news/27620.asp

Pope staying in hospital 
Mar. 10, 2005

Pope John Paul will remain in hospital for the time being but will be back at 
the Vatican by start of Holy Week on March 20, the Vatican says. But the 
Vatican said it was still not clear what role, if any, the Pope would have in 
festivities of Holy Week, which starts on Palm Sunday, March 20, and ends on 
Easter Sunday, March 27. "The Holy Father, following the advice of his doctors, 
will extend his stay at the Gemelli hospital by a few more days in order to 
complete his convalescence, which is progressing regularly," spokesman Joaquin 
Navarro-Valls said on Thursday. He said the next bulletin on the health of the 
84-year-old Pope would not be issued until Monday, making clear that the 
Pontiff would remain in hospital for at least part of next week. "I can confirm 
that the Pope will spend Holy Week in the Vatican," the spokesman said. "This 
has been confirmed." The Pope is still undergoing breathing and speech 
rehabilitation therapy and still has a tube in his throat. He has been in 
hospital since February 24, when he underwent a tracheotomy to help ease severe 
breathing problems. For the first time in his papacy, he has delegated 
cardinals to preside at nearly all Easter season ceremonies. Easter, 
commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the most important event in 
the Christian liturgical calendar and Holy Week is one of the most intense 
periods for the Pope. A programme issued by the Vatican earlier this week 
showed that the Pope was only scheduled to deliver his traditional blessing on 
Easter Sunday. But the Easter Sunday Mass itself and nearly all of the other 
Holy Week ceremonies will be presided over by cardinals. It is still not clear 
if the Pope would even be able to attend the ceremonies, make only brief 
appearances or join the faithful via television link-ups. "The participation by 
the Pope at one (Holy Week) event or another will be decided after he returns 
to the Vatican," Navarro-Valls said. According to the schedule, the Pope would 
deliver his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing on Easter 
Sunday after Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano celebrates the Mass in 
St Peter's Square. But it did not say from where he would deliver the blessing. 
He normally does so from the square after leading the Mass. Vatican sources 
have said aides were studying the possibility of keeping the Pope in his 
Vatican apartments and broadcasting live pictures to faithful at some of the 
services. For the third week running, this Sunday an aide will preside at his 
Sunday blessing in St Peter's Square, while the Pope will appear briefly at his 
hospital window.





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope speaks for first time since surgery

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/world/4496.htm

Posted on Fri, Mar. 11, 2005

Pope speaks for first time since surgery

VICTOR L. SIMPSON

Associated Press

VATICAN CITY - Giving reassurances that ailing Pope John Paul II is improving, 
the Vatican released a video Friday with the pontiff speaking a few words in a 
husky voice - the first time he has been heard publicly since a throat 
operation last month to help him breathe.

The two-minute video was taken of a meeting with Tanzanian prelates in the 
pope's 10th floor suite at Gemelli Polyclinic. His photographer also was 
present and several doctors were nearby.

John Paul said a few words, including "va bene" - Italian for "OK." As the 
prelates left, he said, "God bless you" in English.

The 84-year-old pontiff, in purple vestments, is shown seated during a Mass 
with the prelates in the small chapel in the suite. His voice reciting a prayer 
is barely audible and he appears drawn.

The two - Cardinal Polycarp Pengo and Bishop Severine Niwemugizi - are shown 
telling him in English that Tanzanians are praying for him and love him. He 
responded with the two Italian words.

Until Friday, the pope has appeared three times at his hospital window but did 
not speak, raising concerns about his ability to communicate to the faithful. 
He has Parkinson's disease, which makes speaking difficult because of muscle 
problems.

Several cardinals, however, have said the pope has spoken to them during 
working meetings at the hospital.

Friday's encounter with the African prelates was an indication that the frail 
pontiff was stepping up his activities before returning to the Vatican.

Doctors have extended his hospital stay "a few more days" but the Vatican said 
he still plans to return in time for the start of Holy Week that begins on Palm 
Sunday, March 20.

The Vatican also released a message the pope handed to the bishops, urging them 
to resist programs linking economic aid to the promotion of sterilization and 
contraception and reaffirming the view that sexual abstinence outside marriage 
is the surest way to limit the spread of AIDS.

"While I regret that I cannot receive you in the Vatican at this time, 
nevertheless I gladly welcome you," the message said. "I greet you all from the 
Gemelli hospital, where I offer my prayers and my suffering for you."

Francesco Storace, the president of Rome's Lazio region, visited the hospital 
earlier Friday and said he was assured by John Paul's aides that the 
convalescence was going well. He said he was told "the pope is doing well and 
will get out soon."

Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said Thursday that extending the hospital 
stay was not a sign of problems, noting that the Vatican's latest medical 
bulletin said the pope's convalescence was "progressing regularly." He told 
reporters there was nothing in particular that was being done for John Paul at 
the hospital that could not be handled at the Vatican.

The next medical bulletin is scheduled for Monday.

Navarro-Valls said John Paul would make another appearance at a hospital window 
on Sunday, but that it was not known whether his voice would be strong enough 
to greet the faithful.

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday and culminates with Easter a week later. The 
Vatican has said the pope plans to give his traditional Easter Sunday 
blessings, his only commitment so far. The pope has delegated various cardinals 
to preside at the events but has not named anyone for the Way of the Cross 
procession at the Colosseum on Good Friday evening, an indication he may want 
to appear himself.

John Paul has been recovering from surgery to insert a tube into his windpipe 
to help him breathe. He has been undergoing breathing and speech therapy, the 
Vatican says. Navarro-Valls said doctors will decide whether and when to remove 
the tube.





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope John Paul II expected to leave hospital sometime in coming week

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.picayuneitem.com/articles/2005/03/12/news/11pope.txt

Pope John Paul II expected to leave hospital sometime in coming week 


Saturday, March 12, 2005 7:30 PM CST

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope John Paul II is preparing to leave the hospital this 
week, possibly as soon as Monday or Tuesday, for his return to the Vatican in 
time for Holy Week, according to a priest from the pontiff's hometown.

The Rev. Richard Nitschke, who spoke to the pope's personal secretary during a 
visit Saturday, was the first person to publicly offer details on a possible 
discharge date since the frail 84-year-old pope was rushed to Gemelli 
Polyclinic and underwent throat surgery on Feb. 24 to ease his breathing. 

The Vatican did not confirm the date. But it has said the pontiff would be back 
home in time for Holy Week celebrations that begin a week from now, on March 
20, and culminate with Easter Sunday. The celebrations are among the most holy 
in the Roman Catholic Church's calendar.

Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls indicated Saturday that the pope's 
recovery was progressing without complications. "Everything is normal," he 
said. 


Nitschke, visiting the hospital with pilgrims from the pope's hometown of 
Wadowice, Poland, said he met with John Paul's personal secretary, Archbishop 
Stanislaw Dziwisz, who assured him that "everything is going well."

The priest said, "When I asked (Dziwisz) when the pope would be out, he said, 
'Monday or Tuesday, eventually."' Nitschke did not see the pope during his 
visit. 

The next medical update is scheduled for Monday. Navarro-Valls said Thursday 
the pope was extending his stay by a few more days to complete his recovery but 
stressed the decision was not the result of a medical problem.

John Paul has been doing breathing and speaking exercises, and he was heard 
speaking in public for the first time since the tracheotomy in a two-minute 
video released Friday by Vatican TV.





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"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
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--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope back at Vatican to continue recovery

[meteorite_debris]

http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=3&story_id=30485

Pope back at Vatican to continue recovery 

Posted 07:12am (Mla time) Mar 14, 2005 
By Denis Barnett
Agence France-Presse 

ROME, Italy -- Pope John Paul II returned to the Vatican late Sunday, ending an 
18-day stay at Rome's Gemelli hospital during which he underwent throat surgery 
which leaves him breathing with a tube in his neck.

Looking tired and drawn, but in reasonably good form, the 84-year-old pope 
blessed and waved to hundreds of pilgrims who cheered and applauded as his 
cavalcade, flanked by police motorcyclists, wound its way through northern Rome 
and back to the Vatican. 
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said earlier Sunday he would "continue 
his convalescence" at home, in agreement with his doctors.

In scenes reminiscent of those which accompanied his previous, premature, 
discharge from hospital last month, pilgrims and hospital staff lined the 
avenue at the hospital's rear entrance to applaud as the papal convoy pulled 
away, the pope waving through the open passenger window.

Groups of people clapped and cheered as the cavalcade passed by, some shouting: 
"Long Live the Pope".

All 

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the way, the pope was clearly visible to pilgrims, Vatican aides having kept 
his vehicle's interior light on as the convoy rolled through the gathering 
gloom of the evening, before sweeping through the Vatican's Sant'Anna gate at 
the end of the 15-minute journey.

Antonella D'Alessandro held up her nine-month-old daughter Laura so she could 
get her first glimpse of the pope. "I saw him well. He looked good. He'll get 
better," she said.

"It is his most inspirational period. He's an example for all of us," said 
Michael Greaney from Birmingham, England.

The surprise Vatican announcement of the pope's imminent discharge came minutes 
after John Paul II had managed to make his first address to pilgrims since his 
February 24 hospitalization, uttering a few words of greeting from his hospital 
window for the traditional Sunday Angelus.

"Dear brothers and sisters, thank you for your visit," John Paul II said in a 
hoarse but reasonably clear voice, demonstrating for the first time in public 
that he had recovered his powers of speech. "Have a good Sunday," he added.

Though uttered with great effort, the few words spoken by the pope will help to 
dispel doubts about his ability to guide the Roman Catholic Church, for the 
moment at least.

"This is the most important moment of our stay here. We heard the voice of our 
pope. We didn't expect it. We hope that our presence and our prayers will help 
him," said Eva Filipiak, mayor of the pope's home city Wadowice.

Poles in the crowd of pilgrims outside the Gemelli said the pope had said: "I 
salute Wadowice" in Polish during his brief address.

It was the first time the pope has spoken during a public appearance since he 
underwent a tracheotomy to relieve his acute breathing problems.

Navarro-Valls had previously indicated the pope would remain in hospital at 
least until Monday, but that he would be back in the Vatican by Easter Holy 
Week, which begins next Sunday.

Significantly, Navarro-Valls emphasized the pope would be continuing his 
"convalescence" at home, in sharp contrast to the statement which accompanied 
his previous discharge from the Gemelli on February 10, which said John Paul II 
had been "cured".

Within 14 days, the pope was back in hospital and undergoing his tracheotomy, 
during which a tube was inserted into his neck to allow him to breathe more 
easily and avoid the crisis coughing and choking fits which necessitated his 
hospitalization in the first place.

Roberto Filipo, a respiratory specialist at Rome's La Sapienza University, said 
Sunday the tube would probably have to remain in place "for a long time".

Though the pope is now back at the Vatican, his participation at the demanding 
Holy Week ceremonies is likely to be limited, though he is expected to deliver 
his Urbi et Orbi (to Rome and the World) blessing in person on Easter Sunday.





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"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] "Pope Gregory XVII", the "true" "pope" dies

[meteorite_debris]

"Pope Gregory XVII", the "true" "pope" dies

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=757&e=8&u=/nm/20050323/od_nm/odd_spain_sect_dc

http://tinyurl.com/6v7tu

'True Pope' Sect Leader Dies

Wed Mar 23,10:41 AM ET

MADRID (Reuters) - The leader of a secretive Spanish sect who said he 
was the true Pope and that the Vatican (news - web sites) was controlled 
by the devil has died, a town hall official said Tuesday.   

Gregorio XVII, 58, was the leader of a self-styled church whose 
followers believed he would be crucified before a kind of apocalypse 
would take place.

Gregorio believed God crowned him after Pope Paul VI's death in 1978 and 
he rejected changes made to the Catholic church in the 1960s such as 
saying mass in local languages rather than Latin and dialogue with other 
branches of Christianity.

Information packages handed out at the vast cathedral-like complex show 
pictures of Gregorio, who lost his eyes in a car crash, with bleeding 
hands, forehead and torso similar to the wounds of Christ on the cross.

The sect, based in the southern Spanish town of El Palmar de Troya but 
with members from as far away as the United States, conferred sainthood 
on former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (news - web sites). A town 
hall official said Gregorio had died, although she could not confirm 
when. A local police officer said the bells at the vast walled church 
complex had been ringing for about an hour Tuesday morning.

Officials at the church declined to comment on reports of Gregorio's 
death and whether anyone would succeed him. 







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"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
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shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Next pope is set to be another conservative

[meteorite_debris]

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1446336,00.html

http://tinyurl.com/5j4gb

Next pope is set to be another conservative 

Traditionalists close ranks to ensure their grip on church will endure 

Jamie Doward, religious affairs correspondent
Sunday March 27, 2005
The Observer 

It is a question being asked with ever greater urgency in the upper echelons of 
the Roman Catholic hierarchy: to what extent will Pope John Paul II's legacy to 
the church be a clone of himself? 

As the world watches the pain-racked pontiff's superhuman attempts to remain as 
spiritual head of more than a billion Christians, his most loyal lieutenants 
are closing ranks to ensure that his conservative philosophy continues to hold 
sway. A cabal of aides, some of whom have been with him since his earliest 
days, guard access to the Pope's apartment and disseminate the line that the 
pointiff is still very much in charge. A handful of spiritual allies fulfil his 
duties during Easter week and help stage-manage his brief appearances. 

The pontiff's inability to attend any of the Holy Week events has given them an 
added poignancy that has invited comparisons with the suffering of Christ. 
'It's obvious that the Pope is carrying a very heavy cross indeed, and he is 
giving a marvellous example of patience in the face of suffering,' said US 
Archbishop John Foley. 

But the Pope's suffering has prompted speculation over the direction in which 
his successor will take the church. As pressure mounts for a modernising Pope - 
prepared to brook discussion on female priests, celibacy and contraception - 
conservatives are battling to keep their authority. They want to preserve the 
centralised structure established by John Paul II. 

The conservatives know they have statistics on their side. The fact that 97 per 
cent of the 120 cardinals who will be eligible to vote for the pontiff's 
successor were appointed by John Paul II himself makes it almost inconceivable 
that a moderniser will become the next Pope. 

They were also reassured by the Pope's recent decision to entrust the German 
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a hardline conservative, with composing this year's 
Good Friday meditation. Ratzinger is head of the Congregation for the Doctrine 
of the Faith, the church's chief think tank, which has dominated discussions on 
sexual morality and birth control, and prevented liberals from gaining ground. 

'Christ suffers in his own church,' Ratzinger wrote in the meditations, which 
were approved by John Paul II. Ratzinger used the meditations to describe the 
'falling of many Christians away from Christ into a godless secularism', which 
some have taken as a reference to the church's need to emphasise its 
conservative values in a modern age. 

Ratzinger, 78, is one of the few members of John Paul II's inner circle 
considered 'papabile' - a cardinal who could become the next Pope - but he is 
viewed as a long shot. 

Claims about who will succeed should be treated with caution. In 1978, the year 
John Paul II was elected, a book entitled Which Pope? came out, listing the 
favourites with no mention of John Paul II. 

Nevertheless, the smart money is going on the College of Cardinals appointing 
the first 'third-world Pope', chiefly as a response to shifting demographics 
within the church. Since John Paul II became Pope, the church in the northern 
hemisphere has lost followers while the south has gained. Today nearly 65 per 
cent of Catholics live in Africa, Asia and Latin America. 

With the college's inherent bias firmly stacked in favour of cardinals from the 
southern hemisphere, Vatican watchers believe the most likely candidate will be 
Cardinal Francis Arinze, 72, of Nigeria. He would be the first black African 
pontiff since Gelasius I (492-496). Arinze is said to take a hardline position 
on abortion and contraception and denounces homosexuality. Other third world 
favourites are Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez, 62, from Honduras, who teamed up with 
Bono to campaign against third world debt, and Cardinal Claudio Hummes of 
Brazil. 

However, some senior members of the hierarchy fear that, with Christianity's 
influence on the wane in the West, there is a powerful need for a European Pope 
to be appointed to arrest decline. 

One name mentioned is 71-year-old Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Brussels, but 
he is thought too liberal. Meanwhile, the more conservative members of the 
European camp admire 58-year-old Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna. 
Schonborn, though, suffers from his relative youth. John Paul II has served 
more than double the length of time of the average papacy, and the cardinals 
believe the next Pope should not be in the role for so long. The present Pope's 
longevity has meant he has been able to shore up his power base by surrounding 
himself with the like-minded. 

It has meant that, even when his health has been ravaged by Parkinson's and 
related breathing problems, the Pope's positi

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Religion : Who Will Be The Next Pope?

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.readabet.com/index.php/other/article/7237

Religion : Who Will Be The Next Pope?   
Monday, 30 July 2007

Pope John Paul II failed to appear at a midday Easter blessing on Monday for 
the first time in his 26-year papacy. The Pope traditionally makes a noontime 
appearance at his window overlooking St. Peter's Square on Easter Monday, a 
national holiday in Italy that marks the end of Holy Week celebrations.

However the 84-year-old pontiff, who has been recovering from throat surgery to 
ease a breathing crisis never appeared. The Pope managed only a few sounds 
during his Easter blessing on Sunday, and was clearly struggling and as sad it 
is, it can only be a matter of time before the College of Cardinals select the 
next Pope.

In anticipation of this event, Paddy Power have published a market on who they 
see as the most likely contenders to continue the fine work of Pope John Paul 
II.

When the time comes for a new pontiff to lead the world's 1.1 billion 
Catholics, John Paul's influence will still be considerable. He has appointed 
115 of the 120 cardinals eligible to elect the next Pope, all with an eye to 
enforcing his conservative stance.

John Paul has also recruited cardinals from the poor but vibrant southern rim 
of Catholicism and from regions hardly ever represented before. New cardinals 
hail from as far away as Cameroon, Syria, and the Dominican Republic. This 
widening of the ranks complicates the task of figuring out who the next Pope 
will be.

There is one school of thought that a transitional pope may be the best way 
forward, for example one older than 75 who may not be around for too long. In 
that scenario, the next Pope could be Joseph Ratzinger, who has been John 
Paul's enforcer on Church doctrine. The German candidate is a 7/1 chance with 
Paddy Power. 

Favourite with the Irish layers at 5/2 is Dionigi Tettamanzi of Milan who is 
being tipped by many Vatican insiders to be named Pope John Paul II's 
successor. Known for his diplomatic skills, the Italian has his conservative 
credentials in order.

What may count against Tettamanzi is the 450 years of Italian popes experienced 
by the Church. With so many Catholics in South America (Today nearly 65 per 
cent of Catholics live in Africa, Asia and Latin America), a pope from this 
part of the world may be an option, in which case Oscar Maradiaga (4/1) from 
Honduras would be in with a chance. Another option could be Cardinal Claudio 
Hummes of Brazil (12/1). 

However, it should be noted that some senior members of the hierarchy fear 
that, with Christianity's influence on the wane in the West, there is a 
powerful need for a European Pope to be appointed to arrest decline.






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--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope getting some nutrition through tube, Vatican says

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/world/11270248.htm

Pope getting some nutrition through tube, Vatican says

BY LIZ SLY

Chicago Tribune

ROME - (KRT) - Pope John Paul II is receiving added
nutrition through a tube in his nose, the Vatican
announced Wednesday, acknowledging for the first time
that the pontiff's recovery from throat surgery has
been slow.

The pope, who is breathing through a tube in his
throat, was fitted with the feeding tube after
widespread reports that he has been having difficulty
swallowing food.

The announcement came two hours after the pope made
another brief appearance at the window of his
apartment, during which he struggled, but failed, to
speak to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for
his regular weekly audience.

Just as he did Easter Sunday, the pope tried to speak,
but all he managed was a few rasping grunts before a
hand pulled his microphone away. He also appeared to
have difficulty controlling his movements - his head
lolled and his neck twitched.

But he managed to make the sign of the cross to bless
the crowd, while a bishop read the customary greeting
in several languages.

The Vatican didn't say when the tube was inserted, but
there was no sign of it during his four-minute
appearance at the study window. Medical experts said a
nasal feeding tube, which would typically remain in
place between meals, would have been visible had it
been present.

This latest twist to the saga of the 84-year old
pope's health problems brought closer the possibility
that the Vatican may one day have to grapple with the
dilemmas posed by a permanently incapacitated pontiff.
Although the Vatican said the pope spoke before he
left the hospital March 13, he has not spoken publicly
since.

The Vatican portrayed the tube's insertion as another
step toward his recuperation from the tracheostomy
performed two weeks ago to alleviate breathing
difficulties he experienced after coming down with
influenza. "To improve the calorie intake and
encourage a complete recovery of strength, feeding has
begun through the positioning of a nasal gastric
probe," said the statement issued by the pope's
spokesman, Joaquin Navarro Valls.

The communique was less upbeat than previous ones,
however, and for the first time the Vatican used the
word "slow" in reference to the pope's recuperation.

The pontiff is continuing his "slow and progressive
convalescence," Valls said. "He spends many hours of
the day in his armchair, he celebrates Mass in his
private chapel and he has working contact with his
collaborators."

The statement also said that all the pope's public
engagements for the coming weeks have been
"suspended."

It was the first time the Vatican has reported on the
pope's health in about three weeks, and the silence
has fueled speculation that his recovery has lagged.

The Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported Monday
that the pope would soon be readmitted to the hospital
to have a feeding tube inserted into his stomach.

A similar tube was used to feed Terri Schiavo of
Florida, before it was removed. Schiavo is dying
slowly of dehydration and starvation.

The Vatican has spoken forcefully against the
withdrawal of Schiavo's food and water, and the
pontiff has been clear on the broader subject, saying
that feeding tubes constitute a "proportionate" and
"obligatory" means of keeping otherwise disabled
patients alive.

In a speech last year at an international conference
on treatments for patients such as Schiavo, the pope
said: "I should like particularly to underline how the
administration of water and food, even when provided
by artificial means, always represents a natural means
of preserving life, not a medical act. Its use,
furthermore, should be considered, in principle,
ordinary and proportionate, and as such morally
obligatory."

In the pope's case, the nasal feeding tube is a less
invasive procedure than the one used in the abdominal
application and is usually intended to be temporary. A
plastic tube is inserted through the nose, down the
esophagus and into the stomach, enabling processed
food to be delivered directly to the stomach, medical
experts said.

The tube is uncomfortable, but it does not prevent
movement. Given that the pope's mobility is already
restricted by Parkinson's disease, the tube is
unlikely to significantly impede his activity, said
Gianni Pezzoli, a neurologist who heads the Italian
Parkinson's Association in Milan.

"The fact you have the tube does not tie you to the
bed. You are able to move around. The little tube is
often blocked on the nose with a piece of tape," he
said. "Besides, the fact is that the pope is no longer
very agile in any case."

Whether the pope will recover his ability to eat
normally will depend in part on the causes of his
swallowing difficulties. If they are linked solely to
his recent throat operation, the extra nourishment may
help him recover his strength and aid the healing
process.

But if his swallowing difficultie

[Pope-John-Paul-II] A Look at Pope John Paul II's Health Woes

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4901674,00.html

A Look at Pope John Paul II's Health Woes

Wednesday March 30, 2005 3:01 PM

By The Associated Press 

Dates of injuries, illnesses and hospital stays of
Pope John Paul II: 

- March 30, 2005: Feeding tube is inserted in John
Paul's nose to ``improve the pope's calorie intake''
and help him recover his strength, the Vatican says.
It is unclear when the tube was inserted but it is not
visible when John Paul makes an appearance at his
window. 

- March 13, 2005: Pope discharged from hospital, hours
after speaking to the faithful gathered outside in his
first public appearance since Feb. 24 throat surgery. 

- March 10, 2005: Pope will stay in hospital a few
more days on doctor's advice as he recovers from
throat surgery, Vatican says. 

- Feb. 24, 2005: Pope undergoes successful operation
to insert a tube in his throat to relieve his
breathing problems, hours after he was rushed to the
hospital with flu-like symptoms of fever and
congestion, the Vatican says. 

- Feb. 10, 2005: Pope discharged from hospital. 

- Feb. 1, 2005: Pope rushed to hospital with breathing
difficulties and inflamed throat while battling the
flu. 

- Jan. 31, 2005: Vatican announces pope has ``mild''
case of flu, forcing cancellation of appearances. 

- Sept. 24, 2003: Pope skips weekly general audience
due to an intestinal problem. 

- June 15, 1999: Flu, with slight fever, keeps pope
from celebrating Mass in Krakow, Poland, for 1 million
people during pilgrimage. 

- February 1997: Pope cancels general audience because
of flu with fever. 

- Oct. 8, 1996: Pope hospitalized for operation to
remove an inflamed appendix. 

- Aug. 15, 1996: Pope cancels general audience because
of what Vatican calls an intestinal ailment
accompanied by fever. 

- March 13, 1996: Pope cancels Mass after Vatican says
he is stricken by a similar ailment. 

- Dec. 25, 1995: Overcome by fever and nausea, Pope
interrupts Christmas message in St. Peter's Square and
is bedridden with flu. 

- April 29, 1994: Taken to hospital after breaking leg
in a fall in his bathroom. Undergoes hip replacement
surgery. Discharged May 27. 

- Nov. 11, 1993: Dislocates right shoulder in fall
down steps at Vatican audience. Undergoes operation
and leaves hospital after overnight stay. 

- July 15, 1992: Operation for benign tumor on colon.
Leaves hospital July 28. 

- June 20, 1981: Hospitalized for infection linked to
injuries sustained in attempted assassination more
than a month earlier. Undergoes operation Aug. 5 and
is discharged Aug. 14. 

- May 13, 1981: Pope shot in abdomen and hand in
shooting attack by Turkish gunman in St. Peter's
Square. Spends 20 days in hospital after undergoing surgery.



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--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Text of Vatican statement on Pope's health

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30631083.htm

Text of Vatican statement on Pope's health
30 Mar 2005 12:56:17 GMT

Source: Reuters

VATICAN CITY, March 30 (Reuters) - Following is the
text of the statement on Pope John Paul's health
issued by Vatican on Wednesday by spokesman Joaquin
Navarro-Valls. The statement was issued in Italian and
translated into English by Reuters.

"The Holy Father continues his slow and progressive
convalescence.

The Pope is spending many hours of the day in an
armchair, he celebrates Holy Mass in his private
chapel and is in working contact with his aides,
directly following the activity of the Holy See and
the Church.

To improve his calorific intake and promote an
efficient recovery of his strength, nutrition via the
positioning of a nasal-gastric tube has begun.

Public audiences still remain suspended.

Health assistance is provided by the personnel of the
Health and Hygiene Department of Vatican City under
the direction of Doctor Renato Buzzonetti, personal
doctor of the Holy Father.



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--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] News of feeding tube complicates health of already-disabled pope

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0501743.htm

POPE-CONDITION (UPDATED) Mar-30-2005 (860 words)
Backgrounder. xxxi

News of feeding tube complicates health of
already-disabled pope

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The news that Pope John Paul II
was being fed through a nasal tube added another
health complication to a pontiff already burdened by
illness and disability.

The pope, who cannot walk, can barely speak, and who
needs a tube in his throat to breathe, now has
problems with nutrition, too. Like most of his
problems, the breakdown in normal nutritional function
is a typical symptom of Parkinson's disease.

The latest medical developments, along with the pope's
poignant and abbreviated Holy Week appearances, left
many people worried about his long-term health and
wondering about his future schedule.

After the pope was unable to pronounce even an Easter
blessing to a crowd of 70,000 in St. Peter's Square,
newspapers around the world expressed alarm and said
it was clear the pope's recovery from a tracheotomy
was not going well.

"The Excruciating Appearance of the Pope" read the
headline March 28 in the French newspaper Le Figaro.
"The End of a Pontificate" said the Internet edition
of the German paper, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Italian newspapers were reporting rumors that the
84-year-old pope would be taken again to Rome's
Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, where he had the
operation in late February to insert a tube in his
throat after a breathing crisis.

But the feeding tube was inserted in a procedure at
the Vatican March 30. In announcing it, the Vatican
described the pope's recovery as "slow and
progressive." Although the pontiff made a brief window
appearance the same day, the Vatican said his regular
audiences were suspended indefinitely.

Several medical specialists in Rome said recent
developments were not necessarily cause for alarm
about the pope's condition.

Dr. Gianfranco Cappello, a professor on the surgery
faculty at Rome's La Sapienza University and a
specialist in tube feeding, said many of his patients
are nourished through nasogastric tubes for years. The
tube generally remains in place but is not
particularly bothersome, he told Catholic News Service
March 30.

The pope's own personal physician, Dr. Renato
Buzzonetti, said March 28 that he and other doctors
were "reasonably calm about the postoperative progress
of the pope." 

Dr. Fabrizio Stocchi, a neurological expert in Rome
whom the Vatican has consulted in the past, said
people's expectations about the pope's recovery may
have been too high.

"Considering the pope's age, his health history and
the surgery he's had, I think his recovery so far
could even be called a success," Stocchi told Catholic
News Service March 29.

"People may have to realize that, while he may have
better days and worse days, this is the pope we will
have: one who cannot talk much if at all, and one who
is able to do much less than before," he said.

Many viewers were alarmed not only by the pope's
inability to speak, but also by his uncontrolled
facial expressions during the 12 minutes he appeared
at his apartment window on Easter. At times, his face
wrenched in what looked to be grimaces of pain.

Stocchi said that paradoxically that may have been a
good sign.

"These involuntary movements are called dyskinesias,
and they are a side effect of the drug levodopa, which
is used to treat Parkinson's patients. At least it
means the levodopa is working, which is important,"
Stocchi said.

Stocchi, a professor of neurology at the Institute of
Neurological Research at Rome's Sapienza University,
is considered one of Italy's best experts on
Parkinson's disease. The pope is believed to suffer
from the disease.

Others pointed out that the pope appeared alert
throughout the Easter appearance, following with
attention the printed text of the message read in his
name by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of
state.

"The pope is absolutely lucid," Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, head of the doctrinal congregation, said on
Italy's RAI television March 25. "His mind is alive
and he has a sense of judgment that is perhaps
stronger -- the capacity to choose the essential and
to govern, while suffering, with few but essential
decisions."

The small number of events already on the pope's
calendar has been placed in doubt by his condition. He
was to make an official visit April 29 to the Italian
president, but that may be put off indefinitely,
Italian media reported.

The Diocese of Rome has announced a Mass with the
ordination of priests in St. Peter's Basilica April
17, an event usually presided over by the pope. On
April 24, a Mass to beatify seven people will be
celebrated at the Vatican; although the pope has
presided over previous beatification liturgies, it is
not necessary for him to be present.

Groups of Spanish bishops are continuing to make their
"ad limina" visits to the Vatican, but without seeing
the pontiff. A

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Tense wait inside the Vatican as the Pope is 'read the last rites'

[meteorite_debris]

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=625328

Tense wait inside the Vatican as the Pope is 'read the
last rites'

By Peter Popham in Rome

01 April 2005

The Pope was last night given the last rites, Italian
media reported, after a dramatic worsening of his
health.

The Vatican declined to confirm the reports, but a
statement said Pope John Paul II, 84, was suffering
from a very high fever after contracting an infection
of the urinary tract. It was also reported that he had
experienced a steep drop in his blood pressure.

The Vatican added that "an appropriate antibiotic
therapy has begun" and that "the clinical situation is
being closely watched by the Vatican medical team
treating him".

The Pope has been suffering from Parkinson's disease
for more than a decade. The present crisis dates back
to 1 February when he was hospitalised with flu. He
was discharged 10 days later but soon re-admitted
after suffering a relapse. In hospital he underwent a
tracheotomy, having a tube inserted into his throat to
help him to breathe.

Since then he has only uttered a few words in public,
and on his most recent appearances, apparently wracked
by pain, he tried to speak but failed to produce
intelligible words. After another agonised appearance
at his apartment window above St Peter's on Wednesday,
the Vatican announced that he would now be fed by a
tube through his nose. There was also talk of a
possible permanent feeding tube directly into his
stomach - an operation that would require the Pope's
return to hospital.

All such speculation was put on hold last night,
however, as the Pope's health took what to many
observers appeared to be a critical - and perhaps
final - turn for the worse.

Senior cardinals and others high up in the Vatican
were yesterday preparing the world's one billion Roman
Catholics for the worst. Cardinal Schönborn of Vienna,
once considered a strong candidate to be the next
pope, said that John Paul II was "approaching, as far
as a person can tell, the end of his life". A priest
working inside the Vatican told Reuters news agency:
"We are on stand-by for anything. Hardly anyone thinks
the situation will improve, but everyone is hoping for
a miracle."



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"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope a giant bent by illness

[meteorite_debris]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-03-31T221848Z_01_CHA180298_RTRUKOC_0_POPE-PROFILE.xml

http://tinyurl.com/66qc5

Pope a giant bent by illness
Thu Mar 31, 2005 11:19 PM GMT

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Adored by some, attacked by
others, Pope John Paul is the most prominent religious
leader and perhaps the most widely recognised person
in the world.

In over a quarter century on the global stage, he has
been both a champion of the downtrodden and an often
contested defender of orthodoxy within his own church.

In recent years, the world has watched the decline in
the health of the 84-year-old Pope, who suffers from
Parkinson's disease and severe arthritis. He has been
unable to complete his prepared speeches and has
difficulty pronouncing his words.

The Pope was rushed to hospital in Rome twice in
February 2005 with severe breathing problems,
requiring a tracheotomy the second time around that
temporarily robbed him of his voice.

John Paul dramatically failed in his efforts to speak
in public for the second time in four days on
Wednesday, and shortly afterwards doctors inserted a
feeding tube to try to boost his strength.

The Vatican said on Thursday the pontiff was suffering
from a very high fever caused by a urinary infection.

This revived fears among the world's 1.1 billion
Catholics that one of the most historic pontificates
was nearing an end. The massive media coverage around
the world showed his appeal went far beyond the ranks
of his own church.

The Polish Pope burst on the scene on October 16,
1978, when cardinals in a secret conclave chose him as
the first non-Italian pontiff in four and a half
centuries.

The third longest-serving pope in Roman Catholic
history, the steely willed John Paul ushered his
church into the new millennium despite his sapped
stamina.

Historians say one of the pope's most lasting legacies
will be his role in the fall of communism in Eastern
Europe in 1989.

Poles believe his unflagging support for the banned
Solidarity trade union while communists tried to crush
it was a potent force keeping the movement alive.

Solidarity formed the East Bloc's first non-communist
government in 1989, marking the start of a wave of
freedom which saw Marxist regimes fall like dominoes
across Europe.

"Behold the night is over, day has dawned anew," the
Pope said during a triumphant visit to Czechoslovakia
in 1990.

A decade after witnessing the fall of communism, he
fulfilled another of his dreams. He visited the Holy
Land in March 2000, and, praying at Jerusalem's
Western Wall, he asked forgiveness for Catholic sins
against Jews over the centuries.

A GLOBAL PULPIT

A tireless traveller who has clocked up some 1.25
million kilometres (775,000 miles) in 104 foreign
trips to some 130 countries, the Pope is a familiar
figure across the globe. He has drawn crowds of up to
four million people.

He has been determined to use his office to draw
attention to the plight of the world's neediest and
oppressed while at the same time keeping a firm and
conservative grip on his Church.

"I speak in the name of those who have no voice," he
said on a trip to Africa in 1980.

For the Pope, those with no voice could mean the
unborn child or the dissident rotting in jail.

He has felt just as much at ease lecturing dictators
of the left and the right as he has telling leaders of
world democracies that unbridled capitalism and
globalisation are no panacea to the world's post-Cold
War problems.

A strong defender of human rights and religious
freedom, his calls for a "new world economic order"
and defence of workers' rights have led some to call
him "the socialist pope".

An untiring advocate of peace and nuclear disarmament,
he has often warned that mankind was heading for
Armageddon and in 2003 led the Vatican's campaign
against the war in Iraq.

A former actor who wrote several plays, Pope John Paul
has used his mastery of timing, levity and languages
to communicate like few other world figures of modern
times.

CHRISTIAN UNITY

An untiring advocate of Christian unity and
inter-religious dialogue, he is the first pope to
preach in a Protestant church and a synagogue and the
first pope to set foot inside a mosque.

But ironically, over the past 25 years he also has
been a visible source of deep division to his own
church.

Many Catholics, particularly in developed countries,
have disregarded his teachings against contraception,
questioned his ban on women priests and campaigned for
a liberal successor. They have also chafed under
growing Vatican centralisation.

John Paul has not been swayed by their protests.

Concerned that many Catholics have strayed from
traditional teachings, he has waged an unflagging
battle against abortion, contraception, pre-marital
sex, divorce, homosexuality and the breakdown of
traditional family values.

>From Haiti to the United States, from Brazil to
Austria, he has revived conservative Catholic
self-awarene

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope's condition appears to have stabilized, Vatican

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/net/2005/04/01/pope.s.condition.appears.to.have.stabilized.vatican.radio.says.(1.01.p.m.).html

http://tinyurl.com/6fhzv

Friday, April 01, 2005
Pope's condition appears to have stabilized, Vatican
radio says (1:01 p.m.)

VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II was responding to
treatment with antibiotics and his condition appeared
to have stabilized after he suddenly developed a high
fever brought on by a urinary tract infection, Vatican
radio reported early Friday. 

The latest health crisis for the 84-year-old pope came
one day after he began receiving nutrition through a
feeding tube. (AP)



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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Ailing Pope suffers heart attack

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200504/s1336364.htm

Ailing Pope suffers heart attack

Pope John Paul II has suffered septic shock and a
heart attack, and his condition is "very serious",
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls says.

"Following a urinary tract infection, septic shock and
a cardio-circulatory collapse occurred," Mr
Navarro-Valls said.

The Vatican says the Pope is conscious and tranquil,
despite his condition.

Italia media reports that earlier today the the
84-year-old pontiff participated in a ceremony that
used to be known as "the last rites" but is now known
as the Sacrament of the Infirm.

Members of the Catholic church in Australia are among
millions around the world praying for the Pope.

A special mass has been held at St Mary's Cathedral in
central Sydney, where Fr Michael De Stoop told the
congregation that 84-year-old pontiff has become a
symbol of unity for the church. 

In Brisbane, hundreds of parishioners and well-wishers
have attended St Stephen's Cathedral.

Archbishop John Bathersby says the thoughts of the
faithful and non-Catholic supporters are with the
Pope.

He says Pope John Paul would be feeling great
discomfort at this time.

"Having known him over the years and seen the energy
that he has, and also having been in his company at
various meals and interviews, it's difficult to see
him as he is now," he said. 

"But at the same time he wants to be be that way, he
wants to live this out in front of the world because
[it] more or less reinforces his message of the
importance of the human person."



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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Power play for the next Catholic leader

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,12720663%5E661,00.html

http://tinyurl.com/5xjvw

Power play for the next Catholic leader

>From correspondents in Vatican CITY
01apr05

THE deterioration in Pope Paul John II's health
intensified speculation over who will succeed him, but
whatever happens, the choice is expected to reflect
the profound changes within the Roman Catholic Church
in recent decades.




[Ad]

The next pope will be elected in a secret conclave - a
meeting held under lock and key - by up to 120
cardinals under the age of 80, the maximum allowed
under a law adopted in 1975 by Paul VI.

There are at present 117 cardinals under 80, and of
these nearly 100 have been appointed by John Paul II,
and were likely, according to Vatican watchers, to
reflect his conservative views in the choice of
successor.

Australia's Catholic Primate, Cardinal George Pell, is
an outsider - but a possibility - to become the next
successor of St Peter as Bishop of Rome. Paddy Power
bookmaker offer odds of 40-1 on him being elected the
next pope.

Though the prelates could in theory electe any
baptised man, the next pontiff is virtually certain to
come from among the cardinals themselves. Pope Gregory
XVI in 1831 was a priest and Cardinal Alfonso Borgia,
was a layman before becoming Pope Callistus III in
1455.

Until the election of John Paul II it used to be
reasonably safe to predict that the next pope would be
an Italian. But a split in the Italian camp in 1978
accompanied by a last-minute push by a group of
conservatives, particularly Americans, brought about
what was then considered a revolution - the election
of a Polish pope, the first non-Italian to head the
See of Rome in 455 years.

Under John Paul II, the college of cardinals has
become so internationalised and decentralised that the
next pope could come from anywhere in the world,
although there is a powerful sentiment to return to
tradition and elect an Italian.

If this were to happen, strong candidates would
include archbishops Dionigi Tettamanzi, 70, of Milan,
Angelo Scola, 63, of Venice, Tarcisio Bertone, 70, of
Genoa, Angelo Sodano, 77, the Vatican secretary of
state, and Giovanni Battista Re, 71, the head of the
Vatican congregation or department for bishops.

Pell's prospects

A backlash against the centralising tendencies shown
by the Curia under John Paul would see a new pope who
would allow dioceses more autonomy, perhaps so they
can adapt their language and practices to more closely
reflect local cultures.

That could eventually lead to theological reform and
more diversity with the church but not for quite a few
years, and many cardinals are determined that the
church's universal values must hold sway over local
cultural differences.

Australian bishops, for instance, were carpeted in the
1990s for allowing a church culture that was seen as
too egalitarian and open to secular influences.

Cardinal Pell was subsequently hand-chosen by Rome to
pull Sydney into line. The Pope has made similar
appointments of conservatives to run liberal churches
in countries such as India, Austria, Argentina, The
Netherlands, Canada and Brazil.

One of the most direct ways that any election for a
new pope will affect the Australian church is through
the impact it has on Cardinal Pell's future. A
favourite of the Pope, he is even seen by some as a
candidate to replace Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as head
of the enormously influential Congregation of the
Doctrine of the Faith.

But Michael Walsh, a British expert on papal elections
and author of The Conclave, says he believes the only
realistic chance of Pell landing that job would be if
John Paul stayed in office for some time.

"Pell has nothing like Ratzinger's intellectual
credentials ... but many people think that wouldn't
hurt," he says.

"At times Ratzinger's voice on behalf of the
congregation has been confused by the fact that he is
such a highly respected theologian in his own right -
people are left guessing whether something is his
opinion or the congregation's." Cardinal Ratzinger was
due to retire when he reached 75 three years ago but
the Pope asked him to stay on for an extra five years.


Another important factor is age.

If the cardinals are reasonably unanimous about the
policies they want the Church to follow, they are
likely to elect a young man, as Karol Wojtyla was on
his election in 1978, to carry out these policies far
into the future.

If they cannot agree on policies, they are more likely
to choose an elderly candidate as a temporizing
measure.

One of the key younger candidates cited by Vatican
watchers is Archbishop Christoph Schonborn of Vienna,
who is 60.

If the cardinals decide on a non-Italian candidate,
the field is wide open.

Africa, where the Church is facing competition from
Islam and other confessions, has a strong candidate in
Cardinal Francis Arinze from Nigeria, 72, who heads
the Vatican congregation for divine worship.

And there are four possible candida

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope close to death

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A32355

Pope close to death  
Reuters

Pope John Paul is in a very grave condition and
appears close to death after suffering
cardio-circulatory collapse and shock, the Vatican
said in a statement. 

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul is in a 

very grave condition and appears close to death after
suffering cardio-circulatory collapse and shock, the
Vatican said in a statement.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the
84-year-old Pope had been given the Holy Viaticum —
communion reserved for those close to death — and had
decided himself not to go to hospital for treatment.

The Vatican statement said the Pope had received
cardio-respiratory assistance on Thursday and on
Friday morning was still conscious, lucid and
tranquil.

It said the Pope celebrated Mass with his close aides
at 6.00 a.m. on Friday.

Pope John Paul’s fragile health took a sharp turn for
the worse on Thursday evening as he developed a very
high fever caused by a



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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Vatican Radio: Pope Seems to Be Stabilized

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.santamariatimes.com/articles/2005/03/31/ap/headlines/d896dbp06.txt

Vatican Radio: Pope Seems to Be Stabilized 

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II was responding to
treatment with antibiotics and his condition appeared
to have stabilized after he suddenly developed a high
fever brought on by a urinary tract infection, Vatican
radio reported early Friday. 

The latest health crisis for the 84-year-old pope came
one day after he began receiving nutrition through a
feeding tube. 

A service of the Associated Press(AP)



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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
Yahoo! Groups Links

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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Tears And Prayers In Poland

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/01/world/main684811.shtml

Tears And Prayers In Poland

WADOWICE, POLAND, April 1, 2005

Pope Situation 'Grave'  

An altar boy extinguishes candles after a mass for the
health of Pope John Paul II, in a church in Wadowice,
Poland, (Photo: AP)

"I never cried before. I don't go to church, I don't
believe in priests or in God in the way he is
presented. But I believe in the pope. I love him. He
is a saint."

WADOWICE, POLAND, April 1, 2005

(AP) Poles wept and prayed Friday for Pope John Paul
II at the church where he worshipped as a boy, joining
a nationwide tide of emotion as the health of Poland's
favorite son worsened. 

Hundreds of parishioners, many red-eyed and
distraught, packed St. Mary's church in this southern
Polish town of 20,000, kneeling in pews and on the
stone floor as a nun read prayers from the candlelit
altar. 

Wadowice is "on its knees ... keeping vigil," the Rev.
Jakub Gil told parishioners. 

"I took time off from work to come and pray," Krystian
Zajac, a 47-year-old plumber, said tearfully. "This is
the will of God; we just have to pray. Everything is
in the hands of God." 

As news spread from the Vatican that the 84-year-old
pope had suffered massive heart problems, Poles in his
homeland prayed. 

"The people of Wadowice are crying as they bid
farewell to the Holy Father," Gil said at an evening
Mass. 

The outpouring reflected a deep reverence for the
pope, rooted in Poland's Roman Catholic identity and
gratitude for his role in helping bring down communism
in 1989-90 and freeing Poland from domination by the
Soviet Union with his support of the Solidarity
movement. 

"He is very important to Poland. He contributed to
Poland's freedom. He gave people hope, strength and
faith in freedom. Every Pole is proud of him," said
ship mechanic Janusz Kaniewski, 42, who returned from
a ski vacation to pray for the pope. 

Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, a former
communist, attended a Mass for the ailing pontiff in
Warsaw and canceled official meetings. State
television said it was replacing comedy shows with
broadcasts of Masses and prayers. 

"He did so much for the world, for peace in the world,
for understanding between people that ... he can
serenely close this period of life on Earth, even
though we want him to be with us for as long as
possible," Kwasniewski said. 

Worshippers streamed into the 15th-century St. Mary's
basilica, set in a small park near the house where the
pope was born Karol Wojtyla on May 18, 1920. A large
picture of the pope - looking vibrant in a red cape
with his arms opened - decorated the church entrance.

Despite warm spring temperatures and the light
dappling the nave's pink and white walls, the mood
inside was somber as toddlers to pensioners crowded
inside, some praying at a small chapel with an image
of the Virgin Mary. 

Similar scenes were repeated across the nation of 38
million as Poles left schools and workplaces to pray. 

A first-division soccer game in Poznan between Pogon
Szczecin and Lech Poznan was abandoned before halftime
after news of the pope's rapid decline reached the
stadium and the crowd chanted, "Stop the match!" 

In Krakow - the southern city where Wojtyla rose to
bishop, then to cardinal before becoming pope in 1978
- his longtime friend Jozefa Hennelowa contemplated
the fading hopes for the pontiff's survival. 

"I feel as though someone very close was leaving us,
someone from our family," she said. "He is suffering
so much." 

Lech Walesa, whose Solidarity movement drew
inspiration from the pope, said he hoped the pope
would pull through. 

"I really hope that if the entire world prays hard
enough then God will listen," Walesa told The
Associated Press by telephone from Prague. 

In Warsaw, 40-year-old Wojtek Wisniewski left All
Saints' Church in tears. 

"I never cried before. I don't go to church, I don't
believe in priests or in God in the way he is
presented," Wisniewski said. "But I believe in the
pope. I love him. He is a saint. He understands people
like me and speaks to us. There will never be another
person like him." 

Poland's tiny Jewish and Muslim communities organized
special services, a recognition of the pope's efforts
to bridge differences between the faiths. Most of
Poland's Jewish community was exterminated during
World War II. 

"We Jews feel a special attachment to Pope John Paul
II because of everything he has done for us," Poland's
chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, told The Associated
Press before a Jewish service in the capital. "Through
his teachings he created that space in the life of
Poland today in which Polish Jews can try to live in
Poland again."



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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Vatican: Pope John Paul II Is Near Death

[meteorite_debris]

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Pope/wireStory?id=633773

Vatican: Pope John Paul II Is Near Death 
Vatican Says Pope John Paul II Is Near Death; Millions
of Faithful Worldwide Pray for Pontiff

By VICTOR L. SIMPSON Associated Press Writer

VATICAN CITY Apr 1, 2005 — Pope John Paul II was near
death Saturday, his breathing shallow and his heart
and kidneys failing, the Vatican said. Millions of
faithful around the world knelt, crawled on their
knees, bowed their heads and lit candles to pray for
the 84-year-old pontiff. 

"This evening or this night, Christ opens the door to
the pope," Angelo Comastri, the pope's vicar general
for Vatican City, told a crowd at St. Peter's Square,
where up to 70,000 people prayed and stood vigil in
the chilly night. Wrapping themselves in blankets,
many tearfully gazed at John Paul's third-floor
windows, where the lights remained on early Saturday. 

The Vatican said Friday morning that John Paul was in
"very grave" condition after suffering blood poisoning
from a urinary tract infection the previous night, but
that he was "fully conscious and extraordinarily
serene" and declined to be hospitalized.

By Friday night, the pope's condition had worsened
further, and he was suffering from kidney failure and
shortness of breath but had not lost consciousness as
of 9:30 p.m., the Vatican said. 

Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, the Vatican's health
minister, told Mexico's Televisa dal Vaticano that the
pope "is about to die." 

"I talked to the doctors and they told me there is no
more hope," the Mexican cardinal told the television
channel. 

As word of his condition spread across the globe,
special Masses celebrated the pope for transforming
the Roman Catholic Church during his 26-year papacy
and for his example in fearlessly confronting death. 

In Wadowice, Poland, people left school and work early
and headed to church to pray for their native son. 

"I want him to hold on, but it is all in God's hands
now," said 64-year-old Elzbieta Galuszko at the church
where the pope was baptized. "We can only pray for him
so he can pull through these difficult moments." 

In the Philippines, tears streamed down the face of
Linda Nicol as she and her husband asked God to grant
John Paul "a longer life." 

At the Church of the Assumption in Lagos, sub-Saharan
Africa's most populous city of over 13 million, about
200 Nigerians in Western clothes and bright
traditional African robes sat on wooden benches,
offering prayers for the pope at a midday Mass. 

In Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick said he had
heard from Rome that the pope was "sinking." McCarrick
said he prayed that God will "take him peacefully."

The White House said President Bush and his wife were
praying for the pope and that the world's concern was
"a testimony to his greatness." 

By afternoon, a steady stream of pilgrims jammed the
Via della Conciliazione, the main avenue leading to
St. Peter's. Some carried candles, while others held
rosaries. Some looked through binoculars or camera
lenses at the window of John Paul's apartment. 

By midnight, police estimated the crowed had swelled
to 70,000. The two windows of John Paul's apartment
lit up an otherwise darkened Apostolic Palace. Most
people in the square stood still and silent after the
prayers ended. 

"We are near to him in prayer so that he can go to
heaven, welcomed by the Lord and the other saints,"
said Rossella Longo, a young woman distributing
rosaries to the crowd. 

Tripp McLaughlin, a 20-year-old American in Rome, said
"it would be a blessing if he passed on." 

"You see video of him when he became pope, he was so
alive, so excited to be here. Now to see him break
down is just really sad," McLaughlin said. 

Among those at the square in the morning was Rome's
chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, who said he came "to
pray here in the piazza as a sign of sharing in the
grief of our brothers for their concerns and as a sign
of warmth for this pope and for all that he has done."


During the morning, John Paul had participated in Mass
and received some top aides at his bedside, Vatican
spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said. The pope
declined to be hospitalized. 

Cardinal Marcio Francesco Pompedda, a high-ranking
Vatican administrator, visited the pope Friday morning
and said he opened his eyes and smiled.

"I understood he recognized me. It was a wonderful
smile I'll remember it forever. It was a benevolent
smile a father-like smile," Pompedda told RAI
television. "I also noticed that he wanted to tell me
something but he could not. … But what impressed me
very much was his expression of serenity." 

Hospitalized twice last month after breathing crises,
and fitted with a breathing tube and a feeding tube,
John Paul has become a picture of suffering. His
papacy has been marked by its call to value the aged
and to respect the sick, subjects the pope has turned
to as he battles Parkinson's disease and crippling
knee and hip ailments.

It is not clear who would be empo

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope has never revealed name of mystery cardinal

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3157527

VATICAN CITY For the moment, 117 cardinals are
eligible to vote in a conclave to elect Pope John
Paul's successor, but the number could actually be
118.
When John Paul created new cardinals in 2003, he said
he was keeping one name secret, or "in pectore" --
meaning "in the heart." The name remains secret until
the pope announces it or leaves instructions for that
to be done.The formula has been used when a pope wants
to name a cardinal in a country where the church is
oppressed. That's leading to speculation it could be a
prelate from China, where only a state-sanctioned
church is recognized.John Paul's faithful secretary --
Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz (ZHEE'-vich) -- has also
been mentioned as the possible secret cardinal. 



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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Archbishop leads prayers for Pope

[meteorite_debris]

http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1274&storyid=2903335

http://tinyurl.com/5lnty

Archbishop leads prayers for Pope

April 2, 2005

CANBERRA'S Catholic Archbishop Francis Carroll today
led prayers for Pope John Paul II, as the 84-year-old
pontiff lay close to death in Rome.

About 120 people attended a midday mass at St Peter
Chanel's church, Yarralumla.

The service featured a large cross under which was
placed a photograph of the Pope.

Archbishop Carroll said the world was praying for the
Pope's wellbeing and spiritual welfare.

"At this stage I think most of us would be not praying
for recovery, but simply that he would die peacefully
and certainly then come to the just reward that he
really deserves after such a long life of
faithfulness," Archbishop Carroll said after the
service.

Archbishop Carroll, who chairs the Australian Catholic
Bishops Conference, was the first person to greet the
current Pope when he visited the national capital in
1986 and met him again when he came to beatify Mary
Mackillop in 1995.

"But at least a dozen times over the years I've
visited Rome and on each of the five yearly visits
that bishops make I had a personal, perhaps 15 minute,
audience with the Pope, so I have many fond memories
of the Pope.

"It was very easy to meet him. One would think it
would be rather a daunting experience, but he made you
feel quite at home."

Archbishop Carroll said the Pope's legacy was wide and
profound.

"I think it will be multi-legacy," he said.

"Clearly he's made a great contribution to the life of
the church.

"He's been a great teaching pope, he's been a very
strong and active participant in the ecumenical
movement for unity among Christians.

"And probably one of his great contributions has been
the relationship of the Catholic church and
Christianity generally to the other great faiths of
the world, particularly the Jewish and the Muslim
faiths, but also to all faiths."

He said the Pope's opposition to the war in Iraq had
sent a powerful message to the world.

"I would believe that the Pope's opposition to the war
in Iraq probably was a major factor in the Muslim
people not seeing that invasion of Iraq as a
Christian-Muslim crusade or war," he said.

"When they see the leading Christian spokesman
speaking out against it they could understand then
that it was not a Christian versus Muslim (war) and I
think that saved the world a lot of hardship."

One of those who attended today's service, Elizabeth
Delaney, said she had also met the Pope.

"The fact that he made an effort to make some
connection, even though he must be meeting millions of
people, I was impressed by that," she said. 

AAP



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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope John Paull II Dead at 84

[meteorite_debris]

http://newscenter.ninn.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9625

Pope John Paull II Dead at 84 

VATICAN CITY (AP) - John Paul II, who led the Roman
Catholic Church for 26 years and helped topple
communism in Europe while becoming the most-traveled
pope, died Saturday night in his Vatican apartment
after a long public struggle against debilitating
illness. He was 84. 

"We all feel like orphans this evening,"
Undersecretary of State Archbishop Leonardo Sandri
told the crowd of 70,000 that had gathered in St.
Peter's Square below the pope's still-lighted
apartment windows. 

The assembled faithful fell into a stunned silence
before some people broke out in applause - an Italian
tradition in which mourners often clap for important
figures. Others wept. 

The crowd, which appeared to grow quickly, recited the
rosary. A person in the front held a Polish flag in
honor of the Polish-born pontiff. 



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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] A large number of Guardian links

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/pope/0,12272,761767,00.html



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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Rise of Opus Dei under Pope has liberals concerned over succession

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.rickross.com/reference/opus/opus50.html

Rise of Opus Dei under Pope has liberals concerned
over succession 
Financial Times (UK)/March 5, 2005 
By Tony Barber 

According to Roman Catholic Church rules, the choice
of the next Pope will rest with the cardinals,
currently numbering 118, who are under the age of 80
and who will hold a conclave in the Vatican's Sistine
Chapel after John Paul II's death. 

But some Church-watchers are asking to what extent the
cardinals' decision will be guided by a conservative
Catholic movement that has steadily increased its
influence at the Vatican in the twilight years of John
Paul's papacy. 

Opus Dei, a movement founded in Spain in 1928, is
often criticised by liberal Catholics for being
secretive, elitist and tolerant of seemingly bizarre
acts of physical self-punishment on the part of its
devotees. 

"One of the most powerful and reactionary
organisations in the Roman Catholic Church today" is
how Catholics For a Free Choice, a Washington-based
liberal group, describes the organisation. 

No one in the Church doubts Opus Dei's support for
John Paul's theological conservatism and his hard line
on sexual ethics, but the accusation of being a
subversive "church within a church" cuts little ice
with the organisation's 85,000 members. 

They stress their movement's spirituality and
commitment to work and duty, and they take immense
pride in the fact that Josemaria Escrivá de Balaguer,
their founder, was made a saint by John Paul in
October 2002. 

It is, however, precisely John Paul's support for Opus
Dei that has put the liberals' nerves on edge. Pope
Paul VI, who reigned from 1963 to 1978, was famously
cold towards Opus Dei, but all that has changed during
John Paul's 26-year papacy. 

Not only was Escrivá canonised a mere 27 years after
his death - an unusually speedy path to sainthood by
Church standards - but in 1982 John Paul gave a
special canonical status to Opus Dei. By making the
movement a "personal prelature", he effectively
stripped local bishops of control over Opus Dei's
activities. 

In the past four years, two Opus Dei churchmen have
been awarded a cardinal's hat: Juan Luis Cipriani of
Peru, and Julián Herranz, the Spanish-born president
of the pontifical council for legislative texts. 

Cardinal Herranz has emerged as one of the five or six
prelates closest to John Paul during his recent
illnesses, which have confined the 84-year-old Pope to
hospital and have at times prevented him from
communicating except by means of short handwritten
notes to his immediate entourage. 

Cardinal Herranz convenes occasional meetings with
other cardinals at an Opus Dei-owned villa in
Grottarosa in the Roman countryside, a practice that
may assume more importance if it continues in the days
before the next conclave. 

Another of those in frequent close contact with the
Pope is Joaquin Navarro-Valls, John Paul's ultra-loyal
spokesman and a prominent Opus Dei layman. 

Opus Dei's influence in the Church was on open display
at Escrivá's canonisation, which was attended by 42
cardinals. Not all will take part in the next
conclave, and those who do may not vote as a bloc, but
it was a striking demonstration that Opus Dei's star
was on the rise. 

According to one Church-watcher, it is also noteworthy
that the prelate who will be the most powerful figure
in the Vatican between John Paul's death and the
election of his successor has connections to Opus Dei.
He is Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, the Vatican's
Spanish-born "camerlengo", or chamberlain. 

The cardinal, whose nephew is an Opus Dei priest, will
have the responsibility of administering the Holy
See's money and property until the next Pope is
elected. 

He will also arrange John Paul's funeral and prepare
the conclave. 

Some Catholic academics in Rome caution against
reading too much into Opus Dei's influence at the
Vatican. The outcome of conclaves, they emphasise, is
all but impossible to predict, and Opus Dei is not
especially powerful in the Italian Church, which will
provide 20 of the 118 cardinal-electors. 

"The Jesuits were strong under Pius XII, but now that
is less true," noted one theologian, referring to the
Pope who reigned from 1939 to 1958. 

To see more documents/articles regarding this
group/organization/subject

http://www.rickross.com/groups/opus.html



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--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will b

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Cardinal hopes next pope is like John Paul

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050407f3.htm
http://tinyurl.com/5jn6q

Cardinal hopes next pope is like John Paul

Roman Catholic Cardinal Seiichi Shirayanagi, one of
two Japanese eligible to vote for a new pope, hopes
Pope John Paul II's replacement will offer more of the
same.

"I want to support someone who can continue the course
taken by Pope John Paul II, who observed modern
society and made contributions to society,"
Shirayanagi said Sunday in Tokyo.

"I want to decide (who to vote for) by carefully
reading documents such as career history and the
contents of sermons," the 76-year-old former
archbishop of Tokyo said.

The new pope will be chosen by a conclave of cardinals
under the age of 80, held behind closed doors in line
with tradition in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
It will continue until a candidate gets two-thirds of
the vote.

Shirayanagi said he cannot reveal who he has voted for
after the election because anyone leaking information
about what goes on at the conclave would be subject to
excommunication.

Asked about the prospects for the main contenders
being floated to replace Pope John Paul II, who died
Saturday at age 84, Shirayanagi said there has never
been a case in which someone who was said to be a
strong candidate was actually selected as pope.

"This time, too, the outcome is unpredictable," he
said.

The cardinal will be taking part in his first election
of a pope. He has a degree in theology from Sophia
University and was chosen in 1994 as the fourth
Japanese cardinal.

On Pope John Paul II, he said the Polish-born bishop
of Rome, who experienced suppression of the freedoms
of speech and religion under the Nazi invaders and the
later socialist system in Poland, aimed for a world in
which all people could live humanely, had contact with
people in various walks of life around the world and
candidly admitted the past mistakes of the Roman
Catholic Church.

"He also preached the importance of dialogue among
conflicting parties, such as the time before the war
on Iraq," Shirayanagi said, referring to opposition by
countries that include France and Germany to the U.S.
plan to launch a military operation in the Persian
Gulf nation.

On Japan, the pope constantly hoped the country would
serve as a test of how to introduce Christianity to a
nation that is industrialized and has high cultural
standards but is not predominantly Christian, the
cardinal said.

The Japan Times: April 7, 2005



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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Not in my name

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1454850,00.html

Comment 

Not in my name 

How dare Tony Blair genuflect on our behalf before the
corpse of a man whose edicts killed millions? 

Polly Toynbee
Friday April 8, 2005
The Guardian 

With the clash of two state funerals and a wedding,
unreason is in full flood this week. Yet again,
rationalists who thought they understood this secular,
sceptical age have been shocked at the coverage from
Rome. 

The BBC airwaves have disgraced themselves. The Mail
went mad with its front-page headlines, "Safe in
Heaven" and the next day "Amen". Even this august
organ, which sprang from the loins of nonconformist
dissent, astounded many readers with its broad acres
of Pope reverencing. Poor old Prince Rainier of that
squalid little tax haven missed his full Hello! death
rites through bad timing. 

Article continues
[iframe] 
The arcane flummery brings forth dusty academics in
Vaticanology, the Act of Settlement and laws of
Monegasque succession. These pantomimes of power
fascinate in their quaintness, but they signify
nothing beyond momentary frisson. 

The millions pouring into Rome (pray there is no
Mecca-style disaster) herald no resurgence of
Catholicism. The devout are there, but this is
essentially a Diana moment, a Queen Mother's
catafalque. People queue to join great public
spectacles, hoping it's a tell-my-grandchildren event.
Communing with public emotion is easy now travel is
cheap. These things are driven by rolling, unctuous
television telling people a great event is unfolding,
focusing on the few hysterics in tears and not the
many who come to feel their pain. 

Bill Clinton had it right yesterday: "The man knows
how to build a crowd." Curiously, the celebrity nature
of this event - a must-do for 200 world leaders -
signifies the opposite of what it seems. It shows how
far people have forgotten what the church really is,
how profoundly ignorant and indifferent they have
become to history and theology. Hell, he was just a
good ol' boy, wore white, blessed folk, prayed for
peace - why not? 

In Europe church attendance is plummeting, even in
Poland, the heart of reactionary Catholicism. Here the
young are clueless about the most basic Christian
stories. How about the DJ who opened his show with
"Happy Good Friday!" Art galleries now need to explain
the agony in the garden, the raising of Lazarus and
even the annunciation. In surveys, half the population
couldn't say what Easter meant. It is precisely this
insouciant ignorance that lets people emote with the
flow; they know not what they do. 

The Vatican is not a charming Monaco for tourists
collecting Ruritanian stamps or gazing at past glories
in the Sistine Chapel. It is a modern, potent force
for cruelty and hypocrisy. It has weak temporal power,
so George Bush can safely pray at the corpse of the
man who criticised the Iraq war and capital
punishment; it simply didn't matter as the Pope never
made a serious issue of it or ordered the US church to
take strong action. 

The Vatican's deeper power is in its personal
authority over 1.3 billion worshippers, which is
strongest over the poorest, most helpless devotees.
With its ban on condoms the church has caused the
death of millions of Catholics and others in areas
dominated by Catholic missionaries, in Africa and
right across the world. In countries where 50% are
infected, millions of very young Aids orphans are
today's immediate victims of the curia. Refusing
support to all who offer condoms, spreading the lie
that the Aids virus passes easily through microscopic
holes in condoms - this irresponsibility is beyond all
comprehension. 

This is said often, even in this unctuous week - and
yet still it does not permeate. He was a good, caring
man nevertheless, they say, as if it were a minor
aberration. But genuflecting before this corpse is
scarcely different to parading past Lenin: they both
put extreme ideology before human life and happiness,
at unimaginable human cost. How dare our prime
minister go there in our name to give the Vatican our
approval for this? Will he think of Africa when on his
knees today? I trust history will some day express
astonishment at moral outrage wasted on sexual trivia
while papal celebrity and charisma cloaked this great
Vatican crime. 

The editor of the Catholic Herald was somewhat
Jesuitical when I argued with him in a BBC studio
yesterday. He asked how the Pope could be blamed when
all the church calls for is sex within marriage and
abstinence. But abstinence and celibacy are not the
human condition. If the Vatican learned anything about
humanity, it would humbly meditate on 4,450 Catholic
clergy in the US alone accused of molesting children
since 1950, and no doubt as many in Catholic churches
elsewhere still in denial. 

The scale of it is breathtaking yet not at all
surprising: most humans are sexual beings. A Vatican
edict in the 1960s threatened to excommunicate anyone
breaking secrecy on child sex allegation

[Pope-John-Paul-II] German Cardinal Delivers Moving Homily

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-pope-ratzinger,0,2417351.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

http://tinyurl.com/6oj95

German Cardinal Delivers Moving Homily

By FRANCES D'EMILIO
Associated Press Writer

April 8, 2005, 2:54 PM EDT

VATICAN CITY -- German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a
Vatican theologian with a reputation for coldness,
moved mourners to tears Friday with a homily that
painted an image of John Paul II benevolently looking
down on St. Peter's Square from a window in heaven. 

Choking back tears, the cardinal, considered a
possible papal successor, showed a rare side marked by
a human touch and fatherly presence. 

A rigorously conservative guardian of doctrinal
orthodoxy, Ratzinger is considered a front-runner
among Vatican experts who think the cardinals will
seek an elderly, short-tenure pontiff after John Paul
II's 26-year run. The late pontiff valued his services
so much that he refused the cardinal's requests to
resign. 

Ratzinger turns 78 on April 16, two days before the
start of the conclave to elect a new pope. 

His thinning, silver hair blowing in the wind as John
Paul's often did in ceremonies on the steps of St.
Peter's Basilica, Ratzinger celebrated the funeral
Mass, which drew some 300,000 people to the square and
surrounding streets and transfixed millions more
watching it on TV screens around the world. 

The crowd erupted in applause a dozen times when he
read his homily, delivered in heavily accented Italian
despite more than 24 years at the Vatican. 

Ratzinger had been a longtime confidant of the pope
and a fraternal familiarity framed the homily. 

He traced Karol Wojtyla's life from his days in
Nazi-occupied Poland as he secretly studied for the
priesthood to his final, suffering months as the
ailing head of the church. 

"We can be sure our beloved pope is standing today at
the window of the father's house, that he sees us and
blesses us," Ratzinger said. Prelates joined the
faithful in applause, and many in the crowd had tears
streaking down their cheeks. 

With much of Ratzinger's Vatican career associated
with harshness, including the silencing of dissident
theologians and censuring of wayward clergy, the
reassuring words helped flesh out his resume with some
warmth. 

John Paul's increasingly frail health in the last
months also gave Ratzinger opportunities to take on a
more public role, sometimes standing beside John
Paul's chair at the altar as the pope celebrated Mass.


For the Good Friday procession at the Colosseum last
month, Ratzinger penned a series of meditations at the
pontiff's request. 

In those reflections, the German theologian denounced
what he called "filth" in the Church, including in the
priesthood. Those words were seen as a possible
denunciation of the clergy sexual abuse scandals. 

Many faithful, especially in the United States, had
accused the Vatican of not paying enough attention to
the sex abuse problem. Ratzinger's words appeared to
indicate pain and anger over the scandals. 

At times he has projected an image of physical
coldness, with an icy penetrating gaze and harsh
pronunciation of the musical-sounding Italian
language. 

In the funeral tribute to John Paul, he led with his
feelings. 

"Today we bury his remains in the earth as a seed of
immortality. Our hearts are full of sadness, yet at
the same time of joyful hope and profound gratitude." 

Ratzinger, as dean of the College of Cardinals, had
the formal duty of announcing the pope's death on
April 2 to foreign governments. He was also one of the
few cardinals ushered into the pope's bedroom as John
Paul journeyed toward death. 

As head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, Ratzinger was one of the key men the pope
depended on in his drive to shore up the faith of the
world's Roman Catholics. 

Made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977, Ratzinger is
one of only three among the 117 voting cardinals who
weren't named by John Paul.



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--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] FIRST-PERSON: Pope John Paul II’s legacy

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=20555

FIRST-PERSON: Pope John Paul II’s legacy
Apr 8, 2005
By David S. Dockery 

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--No pope in recent memory has had
the impact of John Paul II, whose death was mourned
this week by many around the world.

Born Karol Jozef Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II was shaped
by his Polish upbringing, particularly the Holocaust
of World War II. He became archbishop of Krakow in
1965.

During the early years of his papal leadership, his
tours across the world stirred millions, particularly
young people, to more faithful commitment to the
church and to humankind. He was trained in drama and
acting in his college years. There he learned the
importance of a “public moment,” which has, to the
amazement of many, been the key which has connected
him with young people in such an exciting way all
around the world.

The pope was a voice of hope for those who suffered at
the hands of tyranny and communism. The freedom of the
oppressed in Poland, the fall of communism in Eastern
Europe, the fall of Latin American dictatorships and
the new openness to religion in Cuba cannot be
understood apart from the obvious fingerprints of Pope
John Paul II on these events.

At the heart of this pope’s message over the past two
decades was the resounding theme that it is the task
of men and women to make life more human, to achieve
full dignity. Freedom, he maintained, is the condition
of this dignity, but freedom is under threat from
oppressive governments, from atheism, from consumerism
and from a misunderstanding of human rights. He did
not waver from his message over the past 26 years.

A second major theme was society’s obligations toward
the poor and the achievement of greater social
justice. He served as a powerful and active advocate
on behalf of the poor, yet he was especially critical
of Marxism and liberation theology, in what he saw as
misguided efforts in behalf of the poor -- efforts
that are not faithful to Scripture or the historical
Christian tradition. In this regard, he called for the
silence of Brazilian liberation theologian Leonardo
Boff. This pope did not lack courage in challenging
and disciplining thinkers like Boff or others he
considered to be out of line with the church’s
tradition, such as the Swiss theologian Hans Küng or
the Sri Lankan Tissa Balasuriya.

The crisis in the American Catholic Church over the
priesthood and inappropriate sexual activity with
parishioners, especially young men, was a scourge on
the church and a source of much grief for the pope. He
attempted to balance his concerns with redemptive
discipline that nevertheless brought criticism from
numerous sectors inside and outside the church.

Pope John Paul will best be remembered as a champion
of human rights, as an advocate for the poor, as a
voice for peace and as a stalwart of Catholic
orthodoxy, particularly on matters like abortion and
homosexuality. John Paul II spoke powerfully against
the culture of death and his legacy will be grounded
in his call for a new commitment to a culture of life.

As the Roman Catholic Church enters a time of
transition, it will be built upon this pope’s efforts
over the past three decades. In the future the church
likely will be looking to the southern hemisphere for
future leadership with the expanding influence of
African and Latin American bishops. As Baptists and
evangelicals, we will continue to have significant and
substantive theological differences with the pope's
teaching, including the very concept of the papacy
itself. Yet, at this time we offer thanksgiving for
the life, legacy and moral courage of Pope John Paul
II.

David S. Dockery is president of Union University in
Jackson, Tenn.



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--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Will the next pope end another white monopoly?

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050409/asp/opinion/story_4590523.asp

WINDOWS OF THE CHURCH 
- Will the next pope end another white monopoly?
Sunanda K. Datta-Ray

Guatemalan street vendor

The spectacle of George W. Bush kneeling at Pope John
Paul II’s bier recalls another temporal ruler, Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa, on his knees while Pope Adrian
IV placed his slippered foot on the emperor’s neck and
then made him hold the stirrup while he mounted his
horse. But Adrian’s political clout was nothing
compared to John Paul II’s demonstration during the
Cold War that papal power surpassed that of the
military divisions that Stalin mocked.

Yet, despite television images of millions of pilgrims
and mourners (though not all grieving), his
pontificate was far from robust, which is why the 117
electors of the College of Cardinals could do worse
than look for a successor in Asia, Africa or Latin
America. Far from being a concession to the Third
World, a black, brown or yellow Vicar of Christ would
acknowledge where the future lies. By underlining the
catholicity of a Church that Islam has overtaken as
the world’s most popular religion, such a tribute to
the late pope’s universalism might also divert
attention from scandals, controversies and shrinking
congregations throughout the Western world.

This pragmatic prescription for revival may not appeal
to devout Catholics. They will probably retort that
the choice of an heir to St Peter’s throne reflects
only God’s will with no thought of earthly benefits.
That is nonsense, of course, for the papacy — and John
Paul II’s more than any other — has always thrived on
its worldly commitments.

Way back in 1953, when the first Indian prince of the
Church, Valerian, Cardinal Gracias, visited St
Xavier’s College, I asked a priest if Gracias could
ever become pope. I had in mind not only the
cardinal’s pioneering position but the legend of St
Thomas the Apostle landing at Cranganore in 52 AD,
making the Malabar coast the cradle of Christianity in
Asia. The Jesuit conceded that there was no
ecclesiastical objection to an Asian head of the Holy
See. The arguments he cited against it happening were
entirely secular. The pope ruled an Italian state. He
was a public figure in Italy where he interacted with
important European institutions, like governments and
the powerful Society of Jesus. He controlled a vast
fortune, presided over a College of Cardinals that
derived in some ways from the Roman Senate, and was
Bishop of Rome with local priestly functions.

No non-Italian had been elected since 1523. Few
Germans made it because the Vatican was often at
loggerheads with the Holy Roman Empire. One reason why
only one Englishman ever wore the triple crown was
that for all its global empire, Britain mattered
little in the architecture of continental power.
Acknowledging the dominant ethic, the few non-Italian
popes tactfully chose Italian-sounding names.

Karol Wojtyla’s elevation in 1978 represented the
triumph of ideology over race. His mandate made saving
souls for Christianity synonymous with rescuing
countries from communism. History will pronounce on
his contribution to the rise of Lech Walesa and
Solidarity, to Poland’s rejection of communism and to
rolling back what was called the Iron Curtain. The
West could not have fielded a more urbane,
sophisticated and skilful crusader than the man who
had confronted with courage, dignity and discretion
his country’s Nazi and Soviet occupiers.

His mission was as relevant to non-Christians as to
Christians, to Afro-Asians as to Europeans. Indeed, it
seemed especially sensitive to developing countries
when he celebrated history’s largest ever mass in
Manila, established a Congolese church in Rome, and
grieved for Uganda’s dead, regardless of religion, as
the “ecumenism of the saints and of the martyrs”.
Preaching the “civilization of love” in Jerusalem and
Bethlehem, he was as affable with Jewish as with
Palestinian leaders.

No other pope denounced Western materialism as the
“culture of death”, reached out as diligently to the
world’s suffering or made human rights the central
issue of his preaching. The underlying strategy
recalled George Canning, the 19th-century British
prime minister, who “called the new world into
existence to redress the balance of the old” by
turning his back on decadent Spain and recognizing
Spanish colonies like Mexico, Peru and Chile as
independent nations. Similarly, the pope nursed in the
Third World the Catholicism that was languishing in
the First, where traditional bastions like France and
Ireland are lapsing into apostasy.

Many reasons — paedophilia charges that have
discredited the clergy in several centres, rigid views
on divorce, abortion, contraception, homosexuality and
female ordination, inroads by boisterous
Pentecostalism and the appeal of Liberation Theology —
are advanced for this decline. But no individual cause
is more important than the growing indifference to
religion 

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Pope John Paul II: Bad for the church but good for the world?

[meteorite_debris]

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=627506

Pope John Paul II: Bad for the church but good for the
world?

Paul Vallely studies the impact of a figure of paradox

08 April 2005

Reaction to the death of Pope John Paul II has been
starkly polarised. Awed enthusiasts have been
unstinting in their praise. Critics have been
withering in their condemnation of his reactionary
views, particular in sexual matters. But many within
the church have been muted while the body of the Pope
lay unburied.

Now that the funeral is over, and as the 116 cardinal
electors begin their secret discussions in the run up
to the conclave to choose the next pope, evaluations
of the last Pope's 26-year ministry will attempt to
reach a more balanced picture. For from a considered
verdict will flow the analysis of what is needed in
John Paul II's successor as the Roman Catholic
church's 265th pope.

In an age of democracy when few international leaders
remain for long in the public eye Pope John Paul II
bestrode the world stage like a colossus across four
decades. The statistics piled up in recent days have
shown that by any standards he was an extraordinary
figure. He was the first non-Italian Pope for 456
years. He travelled almost a million miles to 129
countries to visit the world's one billion Catholics.
He set 1,351 individuals on the road to sainthood -
more than all the other popes of the 20th century put
together. He created 232 cardinals. He was one of the
most prolific popes, with encyclicals, letters,
sermons and speeches which fill nearly 150 volumes. He
had a gift for memorable gestures from kissing the
soil on his first visit to a country to inserting a
prayer scroll into a crevice of Jerusalem's Western
Wall. His was the third-longest papacy in the 2,000
year history of the Catholic Church.

His impact on the secular world was far-reaching. He
played a key role in the collapse of Communism, not
just through his visits to his homeland in 1979 and
1983 but also through his support for the Polish
independent trade union, Solidarity, which gave his
countrymen a vehicle for resistance. Though it was not
known at the time, the Pope wrote letters of support
to activists imprisoned by the communists; and after
private meetings with the US President, Ronald Reagan,
he co-operated with the CIA in the supply of
clandestine materials with priests and bishops, who
were immune from body searches, acting as couriers.

But he touched world affairs far more widely. He had
more than 1,475 meetings with Heads of State and Prime
Ministers and sent envoys across the globe on the eve
of wars. Small wonder that many tributes have
described him as a "superpope".

Yet above all Pope John Paul II was a figure of
paradox. A radical voice on social issues he
challenged much that the secular world deemed as
inevitable: the abysmal gap between the wealthy and
the wretched of the earth, the scandal of the
international arms trade, the death penalty, and the
assumption that profit should take priority over
people in the "savage capitalism" of the new
globalised economy.

But in other things he was indeed deeply reactionary.
His staunch defence of the Roman Catholic Church's
hard line on the sanctity of human life - "from
conception to natural death" - led him to decry
abortions even for women raped in the Balkans wars,
denounce the use of condoms in Aids-ravaged Africa and
condemn attempts to introduce family planning despite
a global population explosion.

The secular world never understood this man of
contradictions. In part that was because much of his
work was kept as hidden as the bare little third-floor
room in which he lived for almost 30 years overlooking
the baroque splendour of St. Peter's basilica. As
spare as any monk's it contained a single bed, two
straight-backed chairs, a desk and a floor which,
apart from a small carpet near the bed, was bare; its
walls too were unadorned apart from a few icons
brought from Poland.

But from there Karol Wojtyla brought the long-term
financial problems of the Vatican under control,
promulgated a new code of canon law for the Catholic
Church (supervised from his sick-bed while recovering
from an assassination attempt in 1981), and oversaw
the creation of its first new Catechism since the 16th
century summarising all the essential beliefs and
moral tenets of the church. Any one of these alone
would have constituted an impressive legacy but John
Paul II did much else, including the establishment of
new rules for the election of his successor - making
members of the College of Cardinals ineligible once
they reached the age of 80. (At present that means
there are 117 cardinals who will elect the next pope).

But there were other reasons the last pope was hard
for our secular age to fathom - his Polishness, his
profoundly pessimistic temperament, his distrust of
democracy and his moral certainty. But, perhaps most
perplexing was attitude of the Pope to the revolution
the Church had made with

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Bush Calls Pope's Legacy Clear, Strong

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4923631,00.html

Bush Calls Pope's Legacy Clear, Strong 


Friday April 8, 2005 10:16 PM

AP Photo AXLP113 

By TOM RAUM 

Associated Press Writer 

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) - President Bush said Friday
that Pope John Paul II's legacy is clear and strong,
despite mixed feelings about the pope's leadership of
the Roman Catholic church that some - including former
President Clinton - have discussed since his death. 

Talking just hours after attending the pope's funeral
Mass, Bush said he was more personally affected by the
service than he had expected. 

Recalling beautiful music, a homily that drew an
enthusiastic response from young people and,
particularly, the moment when the pope's plain cypress
casket was carried past mourners with the sun shining
down on it, Bush said his own faith had been
strengthened by being in St. Peter's Square with the
throng of world leaders and Catholic faithful. 

``I happen to feel it was a special moment that was
part of a special ceremony for a special person,''
Bush told reporters traveling with him on Air Force
One as he flew from Rome to his Texas ranch. ``Today's
ceremony, I bet you, for millions of people was a
reaffirmation for many and a way to make sure doubts
don't seep into your soul.'' 

He added, ``This will be one the highlights of my
presidency.'' 

Bush, the first U.S. president to attend a papal
funeral, led a five-member American delegation to
Vatican City that included two former presidents - his
father, George H.W. Bush, and his predecessor, Bill
Clinton. 

Despite the bonhomie displayed by the bipartisan
presidential trio, a disagreement over the pope
himself emerged. 

Aboard Air Force One on the way to Italy earlier this
week, Clinton said John Paul was ``like all of us - he
may have a mixed legacy,'' pointing to controversy
over the pope's efforts to centralize church authority
in the Vatican, to tamp down ``liberation theology''
movements, to promote conservative doctrine and to
oppose discussion of female or married priests. Still,
Clinton heralded the pope as ``a figure of historic
importance'' who hastened the end of Communism in
central Europe, saw the number of Catholics increase
dramatically on his watch and was, above all, ``a
consistent voice for human dignity in the face of
political oppression and modern materialism.'' 

``On balance, I think he was a man of God, he was a
consistent person, he did what he thought was right
and that's about all you can ask from anybody,''
Clinton said. 

On the way home, Bush was asked to respond to the
``mixed legacy'' comment. He hastened to disagree with
it. 

``Pope John Paul II will have a clear legacy of peace,
compassion and strong legacy of setting a clear moral
tone,'' Bush said. 

To underscore his meaning, he then amended himself.
``A clear and excellent legacy, if you don't mind
adding the word excellent,'' he said, talking at
length in the conference room on his plane. ``I wanted
to make sure there was a proper adjective to the
legacy I thought he left behind. It was more than just
clear.'' 

``I would define Pope John Paul II as a clear thinker
who was like a rock. Tides of moral relativism kind of
washed around him, but he stood strong as a rock,''
Bush said. ``There's a reason why the largest crowd
ever to come and pay homage to a human happened, and
it's because of the man's character, his views, his
positions, his leadership capacity, his ability to
relate to all people, his deep compassion, his love of
peace.'' 

The president said the pope - ``a truly great man who
is and will always be a great historical figure'' -
always had a sparkle about him that helped him
communicate even after his body began to fail him. 

Bush talks often about the power of faith in his own
life. But as he reflected on the pope and the ceremony
that laid him to rest, he did so in unusually personal
terms, saying his relationship with John Paul and his
presence at St. Peter's on Friday strengthened his own
beliefs. 

He talked of feeling the presence of ``a spirit that
was an integral part of the ceremony.'' Using a
description of Christian life common to evangelicals,
he said the Mass had reminded him that faith is a
long-term endeavor: ``It's called a `walk,' it's not
called a `moment' or a `respite.''' 

He also admitted struggling with doubts. ``I think a
walk in faith constantly confronts doubt, as faith
becomes more mature,'' the president said. 

Bush later returned to that topic to insist that those
questions do not reach to the fundamental tenets of
Christianity. 

``There is no doubt in my mind there is a living God.
And no doubt in my mind that the Lord Christ was sent
by the Almighty. No doubt in my mind about that,'' he
said. ``When I'm talking about doubts, I'm talking
about the doubts that an individual struggles with in
his or her life.'' 

Bush was spending the weekend at his Crawford, Texas,
ranch ahead of Monday meetings there with Israeli

[Pope-John-Paul-II] We are rewriting the history of communism's collapse

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1454825,00.html

We are rewriting the history of communism's collapse 

It was Gorbachev, not the Pope, who brought the system
down 

Jonathan Steele
Friday April 8, 2005
The Guardian 

The deaths of the powerful elicit extravagant claims,
and many of the tributes to the man being buried in
Rome today have been little short of grotesque.
Dumbing-down comes over obituary writers, and in their
eagerness to define a clear legacy they often produce
simplifications that take no account of how the world
and people change. 

The way Poles saw communism in the 1970s is not the
way they see it now. The Polish Catholic church was in
regular dialogue with the communist authorities, and
both worked subtly together at times to resist Soviet
influence. John Paul altered his own views as he
travelled. 

So the notion that anti-communism was always a
consistent part of his motivation is off the mark. It
was prominent in his early trips to Poland but less
important in his dealings with Latin America. Pacifism
was also a key principle for John Paul, and when it
came to preserving power in his own domain,
authoritarianism was his watchword rather than the
protection of freedom. 

The retrospectives that draw a line between his first
visit home as Pope in 1979, the rise of Solidarity a
year later and the collapse of the one-party system in
1989 are especially open to question. 

They ignore martial law, which stopped Solidarity in
its tracks and emasculated it for most of the 1980s.
It was a defeat of enormous proportions that John Paul
could not reverse until the real power-holders in
eastern Europe, the men who ran the Kremlin, changed
their line. 

The Pope's 1979 tour, with vast crowds at his open-air
masses, undoubtedly gave Poles a tremendous sense of
national revival. It added an unpredictable factor
after decades of periodic crises between discontented
workers, communist leaders who wanted to show their
national credentials by finding a "Polish road to
socialism" and narrow-minded rulers in Moscow. 

The Pope's support when workers struck in Gdansk and
founded the Solidarity union as Poland's first
independent national organisation helped it to grow
with amazing speed. 

But things had changed a year later. Solidarity was
split over tactics and goals. At its 1981 autumn
congress, where western reporters were given full
access, delegates fiercely debated priorities: was the
key issue to be workers' demands for better wages and
self-management in their factories or the call for
political freedoms that the intellectuals on the
Solidarity bandwagon saw as paramount? Should the
union accept or reject the Communist party's leading
role in government? 

All sides agonised over whether and how Moscow would
intervene. There were already strong hints that the
Polish army would be used rather than Soviet tanks.
None of us thought a clamp-down could be avoided.
Within weeks we were proved right. The Kremlin got its
way with relative ease. Poland's own communist
authorities arrested thousands of Solidarity's leaders
and drove the rest underground. 

John Paul's reaction was soft. Armed resistance was
not a serious option, but there were Poles who
favoured mass protests, factory occupations and a
campaign of civil disobedience. The Pope disappointed
them. He criticised martial law but warned of
bloodshed and civil war, counselling patience rather
than defiance. 

After prolonged negotiations with the regime, he made
a second visit to Poland in 1983. Although martial law
was lifted a month later, many Solidarity activists
remained in jail for years. The government sat down to
negotiate with Solidarity again only in August 1988,
by which time Mikhail Gorbachev had already launched
the drive towards pluralistic politics in the USSR
itself and publicly promised no more Soviet military
interventions in eastern Europe. 

The impetus for Gorbachev's reforms was not external
pressure from the west, dissent in eastern Europe or
the Pope's calls to respect human rights, but economic
stagnation in the Soviet Union and internal discontent
within the Soviet elite. 

The Pope's cautious reaction to martial law was
prompted by his firm belief in non-violence. If it
tempered his anti-communism, so did the high value he
put on national pride. 

His line on communist Cuba differed sharply from his
line on Poland. He realised that Castro's resistance
to US pressures reflected the feelings of most Cubans.
He saw that nationalism and communist rule went hand
in hand in Cuba in a way that they did not in Poland,
where the party was ultimately subordinate to Moscow.
In Havana the Pope mentioned freedom of conscience as
a basic right, but his visit strengthened Castro. His
critique of capitalism and global inequality echoed
Castro's and he denounced the US embargo on Cuba. 

Nor was John Paul's attack on liberation theology in
the 1980s motivated primarily by the fact that the
so-called "option for the poor"

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Re: New poll for Pope-John-Paul-II

[meteorite_debris]

The options are somewhat limited.

> Since Pope John Paul II has passed away and he did so much 
> to bring about peace in the world, should the next Pope make 
> John Paul II a Saint? 
> 
>   o a- most definitely. 
>   o b-  somewhat likely. 
>   o c-  don't care. 
>   o d-  not sure.

I wanted to vote No. But no-can-do.

--- In Pope-John-Paul-II@yahoogroups.com, Pope-John-Paul-II@yahoogroups.com 
wrote:
> 
> 
> Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the 
> Pope-John-Paul-II group:
> 
> Since Pope John Paul II has passed away and he did so much 
> to bring about peace in the world, should the next Pope make 
> John Paul II a Saint? 
> 
>   o a- most definitely. 
>   o b-  somewhat likely. 
>   o c-  don't care. 
>   o d-  not sure. 
> 
> 
> To vote, please visit the following web page:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pope-John-Paul-II/surveys?id=1766328 
> 
> Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are 
> not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups 
> web site listed above.
> 
> Thanks!





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"[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei."
--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Cardinals' detractors hang 'dirty laundry'

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/world/11426505.htm

Posted on Mon, Apr. 18, 2005

Cardinals' detractors hang 'dirty laundry'

FRANCES D'EMILIO

Associated Press

VATICAN CITY - Accusations of involvement in
kidnappings of priests in Argentina dog one papal
contender. "Revelations" about Nazi links surface
about another top candidate. Gossipy items about
health problems raise doubts about others.

Like a U.S. presidential campaign, the run-up to the
election of a pope has seen some dirty laundry hung
out in public, and it's not the cardinals' red socks
that are getting an airing.

Among the "princes of the church" being targeted was
German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, one of Pope John
Paul II's most trusted aides and a man some Vatican
watchers have put in pole position in the race to be
pope.

Journalists have been poking around Ratzinger's
teenage years during World War II, apparently
searching for evidence of any pro-Nazi sentiment.

And on Friday, Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was
cited in a criminal complaint alleging involvement in
the 1976 kidnappings of two fellow Jesuits during
Argentina's dark years of military dictatorship. The
cardinal's spokesman called the allegation by a human
rights lawyer "old slander."

Closet doors are being yanked open in efforts to shape
the fortunes of those in the conclave, which began
Monday with a first, inconclusive vote.

Also being swept out in the search for dirt are
purported health problems.

The Corriere della Sera's daily column on the rise and
fall of pre-conclave fortunes noted the "small pieces
of gossip tossed out there with apparent nonchalance
but which translate into little bombs."

Among the potential bombshells was an item in the
communist daily Il Manifesto that Venice Cardinal
Angelo Scola's future "could be burned for health
reasons" over allegations he suffers strong headaches
and "nervous depression."

Cardinals and their aides closely monitor the Italian
media. But now that they have been sequestered in
Vatican City since Sunday night, the electors aren't
allowed to follow the news under strict rules set by
John Paul to discourage outside influence.

Other Italian reports said Bombay Cardinal Ivan Dias,
who is seen as a long-shot candidate, has diabetes.
They later reported that a priest who spoke with the
69-year-old Dias said the reports were wrong.

Several reports noted that the former archbishop of
Milan, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, has a tremor that
could be a sign of Parkinson's, the disease John Paul
suffered from in his last years.

Martini has been widely mentioned as a possible
"anti-candidate" to counter Ratzinger.

The German cardinal is a hero to doctrinal
conservatives, while liberal camps are supposedly
rooting for Martini, who is considered more
open-minded.

The 78-year-old Bavarian prelate is the supposed
favorite of cardinals leaning toward an elderly figure
to lead the church for likely just a few years while
churchmen try to absorb the legacy of John Paul's 26
years at the helm.

A Sunday Times of London profile on Ratzinger, saying
his doctrinal watchdog role has earned him
uncomplimentary nicknames like "God's rottweiler,"
reported on the cardinal's "brief membership" in the
Hitler Youth movement and service, in the final
stretch of World War II, in a German anti-aircraft
unit.

In his memoirs, Ratzinger speaks openly of being
enrolled in the Nazi youth movement against his will
when he was 14 in 1941, when membership was
compulsory. He says he was soon let out because of his
studies for the priesthood.

Two years later he was drafted into a Nazi
anti-aircraft unit as a helper, a common fate for
teenage boys too young to be soldiers. Enrolled as a
soldier at 18, in the last months of the war, he
barely finished basic training.

Ratzinger's wartime past "may return to haunt him,"
the British paper wrote on the eve of the conclave's
start.

Web sites, presumably propelled by Ratzinger
supporters, churned out articles in his defense,
including one by the Jerusalem Post seeking to knock
down much of the Times' harsh description of the
cardinal's background.

Also sharply attacked in recent days has been another
Italian contender, Milan Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi,
with detractors insisting he isn't the down-to-the
bone conservative many see him as.

But Tettamanzi's star was already seen as falling
years ago by those whose credo is the oft-cited
Italian proverb: "He who enters the conclave a pope
comes out a cardinal." That camp contends the buzz on
Tettamanzi began too soon to sustain enough support
for him into the conclave.

Similarly, some suspect that reports Ratzinger had
gained wide consensus in the days ahead of the vote
were a tactic by those who wanted to shoot down his
star. With cardinals refusing interviews in the last
days before the conclave, none of the Italian reports
cited any sources.



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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Cardinals to Resume Voting After First Black Smoke

[meteorite_debris]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=globalNews&storyID=2005-04-18T231437Z_01_N18694526_RTRIDST_0_BIGSTORY-POPE-DC.XML

http://tinyurl.com/7hwgo

Cardinals to Resume Voting After First Black Smoke
Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:15 AM BST   

By Philip Pullella and Jane Barrett

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Cardinals head into their
first full day of voting for a new pope on Tuesday
after an inaugural ballot failed to find a successor
to John Paul.

Crowds of faithful are expected to flock to St.
Peter's Square, their eyes fixed on the Sistine Chapel
roof to watch for the stream of smoke that will
announce the result of each balloting session, keen to
see history in the making.

On Monday, thousands of people including the Bank of
Italy governor, housewives, pensioners and teenagers
waited on tenterhooks for the result of the conclave's
first ballot. The smoke came out black, signaling no
pope had been elected.

The 115 cardinals locked in the conclave will now vote
up to four times a day, words of strong doctrine and
the solemnity of an oath-swearing ceremony ringing in
their ears.

Latin chants and organ music accompanied the red-robed
cardinals as they processed slowly into the conclave
on Monday, laid their hands on the Gospels and swore
themselves to secrecy and fidelity to the Church.

Then aides and television cameras were ordered out
with the Latin command "Extra Omnes" (Everyone Out)
and the cardinals locked themselves in under
Michelangelo's famed frescos.

Before the conclave door shut, the dean of cardinals
Joseph Ratzinger urged his fellow electors from around
the globe not to listen to the world and its
"dictatorship of relativism."

He told them the papacy should remain faithful to the
teachings of Jesus, who stares down at them from
Michelangelo's awesome "Last Judgment" fresco behind
the chapel's altar.

Ratzinger, who has been the Vatican's doctrinal
defender for 23 years, made no mention of the topics
that other cardinals and ordinary Catholics say should
top the agenda such as poverty, justice, Islam,
science, sexual morality and Church reform.

Until the cardinals agree on a new pope, their only
communication with the outside world will be the smoke
from the Sistine Chapel chimney -- black when voting
sessions end with no result and white when a pontiff
is chosen.

WISPS OF WHITE, PLUMES OF BLACK

The first wisps of smoke to leave the chimney on
Monday were a faint white, prompting a loud cheer from
faithful and tourists who briefly believed that a pope
had already been chosen. But then the smoke quickly
turned thick and black.

"What a disappointment," said Domenica Tamponi, who
had sat out in the square on chairs the Vatican has
provided for the waiting masses. She and many of the
others in the square planned to come back on Tuesday.

With the first, often symbolic, ballot out of the way,
cardinals enter Tuesday's session with a clearer idea
of the strength of blocs voting for the 265th pope in
the Church's 2,000-year history.

There is no outright campaigning in the voting
sessions but past experience suggests there will be
plenty of whispering and candidate-pushing during
breaks and meals, especially as the names of
"papabili" rise and fall in the ballots.

Nothing must be discussed with anybody outside the
elite circle, not even with the cooks and confessors
waiting on the cardinals in a new hotel within the
Vatican walls.

To prevent any contact with the outside world, the
Sistine Chapel's 16th century frescos have been joined
by 21st century anti-bugging devices hidden beneath a
false floor.

Phones, television, radio and the Internet have all
been banned in the hotel to ensure cardinals will not
be swayed by the world but will rely on the guidance
of the Holy Spirit. 


© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.



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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Ratzinger Sounds Doctrinal Alarm Before Conclave

[meteorite_debris]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=globalNews&storyID=2005-04-18T231824Z_01_L18628658_RTRIDST_0_BIGSTORY-POPE-RATZINGER-DC.XML

http://tinyurl.com/a4mvt

Ratzinger Sounds Doctrinal Alarm Before Conclave
Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:18 AM BST
Printer Friendly | Email Article | RSS  

By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
the front-runner before the Roman Catholic Church's
papal election, urged fellow cardinals Monday not to
bow to modern trends but defend traditional Vatican
doctrines.

Spelling out his views before their voting conclave,
Pope John Paul's top doctrinal expert told the
electors to stand up for an "adult faith" that
withstood ideologies, sects and an "anything goes"
mentality that marked modern times.

The 115 cardinals were to enter their closed-door
conclave later Monday.

While Ratzinger at 78 may be too old to win, his
doctrinal orthodoxy has strong support among
conservatives while his moderate critics have yet to
line up a clear alternative.

"We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism
which does not recognize anything as definitive and
has as its highest value one's own ego and one's own
desires," the German cardinal declared at a
pre-conclave Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

The Church needs to withstand the "tides of trends and
the latest novelties," he said in remarks hinting that
the collapse of religion in Europe was his main
concern.

"We must become mature in this adult faith, we must
guide the flock of Christ to this faith," he said in a
homily that sounded almost like a policy speech by a
candidate on the stump.

FAITHFUL BUFFETED BY FADS

The sermon, delivered in his role as dean of the
College of Cardinals, touched on many of the issues
Ratzinger fought for over the past 23 years as head of
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the
modern successor of the Inquisition.

His stern defense of doctrine there and bans on
reformist theologians have polarized the Church,
winning applause from conservatives but alienating
moderates and causing friction with other faiths he
has dismissed as false churches.

The homily made no mention of concerns other cardinals
have expressed such as poverty and justice, Islam,
bioethics, sexual morality, Church reform or the role
of women in Catholicism.

"How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent
decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways
of thinking!" Ratzinger, a former liberal theologian
who reacted against the 1968 student unrest in his
native Germany, declared.

Christians had been buffeted "from Marxism to
free-market liberalism to even libertarianism, from
collectivism to radical individualism, from atheism to
a vague religious mysticism, from agnosticism to
syncretism and so forth," he said.

"Every day, new sects are created," he continued.
"Having a clear faith based on the creed of the Church
is often labeled today as a fundamentalism.

"Relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and
swept along by every wind of teaching, looks like the
only attitude acceptable by today's standards," he
said.

EUROPE'S CHRISTIAN ROOTS

Ratzinger's complaint about being branded a
fundamentalist appeared to refer to criticism of the
Vatican last year when the European Union turned down
its pleas to mention the continent's Christian roots
in its constitution and rejected traditional Catholic
Rocco Buttiglione of Italy as a commissioner.

Relativism, both among unbelieving Europeans and Asian
Catholics seeking an understanding with other
religions, has also been one of his long-standing
targets.

Relativism holds that truth and moral values are not
absolute but relative to the persons or groups holding
them.

Ratzinger, a former archbishop of Munich, published a
book last week in Germany arguing Europe must reclaim
its Christian heritage if it is to survive its
"life-threatening crisis."

In "Values in Times of Upheaval," he criticized the
collapse of traditional families and the drive to
legalize gay marriage, a trend he said meant "the
entire moral history of mankind is being left behind."



© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.



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shall not prevail against it."
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Cardinals Seek Divine Inspiration for Papal Vote

[meteorite_debris]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=globalNews&storyID=2005-04-18T231601Z_01_N18697859_RTRIDST_0_BIGSTORY-POPE-HOLYSPIRIT-DC.XML

http://tinyurl.com/8mr7w

Cardinals Seek Divine Inspiration for Papal Vote
Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:16 AM BST
Printer Friendly | Email Article | RSS  

By Jane Barrett

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The world is waiting for 115
cardinals in red robes to elect a new pope, but they
say their choice will be inspired by an additional and
invisible conclave participant -- the Holy Spirit.

As cardinals entered the conclave on Monday, they
solemnly chanted "Veni, Creator Spiritus" (Come,
Creator Spirit), asking for the Holy Spirit's help and
guidance as they pick a new pope.

Before the conclave, some cardinals said the Holy
Spirit had already chosen a successor to John Paul and
that bit by bit it would reveal the choice through the
electors.

Such talk can seem as mysterious to non-believers as
the Latin chanting and scarlet hats on display when
the "princes of the Church" gathered in the Sistine
Chapel to vote.

Even those who can imagine God the Father as the
omnipotent deity and Jesus as his Son who came to save
the world 2,000 years ago, can have difficulties
grasping the idea of the third person of the Trinity,
the Holy Spirit.

Christians believe the Holy Spirit is a living
spiritual being, distinct from the Father and Son but
as much God as both. It uses everything from people's
prayers to their dealings with others to sway their
hearts and minds and draw them to God.

Some people recall when the Spirit was called the Holy
Ghost and sometimes conjured up ghoulish images of God
terrifying people into obedience and roaming corridors
at night.

Others cling to the Holy Spirit's occasional physical
appearances in the Bible as tongues of fire or as a
dove. But no doves are expected to fly into the
conclave and the only fire will be in the stove to
burn cardinals' ballot papers.

Instead, cardinals hope the Holy Spirit will move them
deep in their hearts, using even the human lobbying in
the run-up to the conclave and the voting patterns
inside to inspire them to vote for the right man.

"We'll all be listening very carefully for Him in
prayer and discussion, waiting for him to reveal his
choice," U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick said before
the conclave.

WISDOM AND MYSTERY

The Bible teaches that the Spirit is given to
everybody who puts their faith in Christ and that it
helps believers to follow God in this world by
imparting spiritual wisdom, understanding, counsel,
power, knowledge and fear of the Lord.

The mystery of the Holy Spirit is so deep and
intangible that even Joseph Ratzinger, the keeper of
Catholic doctrine for the last 23 years and a top
conservative contender for pope, has said the Holy
Spirit's role in the conclave is confusing.

"I would not say ... the Holy Spirit picks out the
pope, because there are too many contrary instances of
popes the Holy Spirit would obviously not have
picked," he once said.

"I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take
control of the affair, but rather like a good educator
... leaves us much space, much freedom, without
entirely abandoning us."

Catholics the world over will be hoping the cardinals
are open to the Holy Spirit's influence in their
hearts and do not let their personal politics get in
the way as happened in 1268.

Then, cardinals failed to come to a decision for more
than two years. When local people demanded to know
why, one prelate gave the excuse that the Holy Spirit
did not come down that easily. So the people tore the
roof off the conclave chamber. 


© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.



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--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Who, Where, How of Catholic Conclaves

[meteorite_debris]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=globalNews&storyID=2005-04-18T232003Z_01_L18573207_RTRIDST_0_BIGSTORY-POPE-CONCLAVE-FACTBOX-DC.XML

http://tinyurl.com/83mbk

Who, Where, How of Catholic Conclaves
Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:20 AM BST
Printer Friendly | Email Article | RSS  

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Roman Catholic Cardinals
begin a conclave Monday to elect a successor to Pope
John Paul II. The winner will be the 265th pontiff in
history.

Following are key facts about the conclave -- one of
the world's oldest and most secret electoral
exercises.

WHO - 115 cardinals under age 80 from 52 countries
will participate. Two other eligible cardinals are ill
and will not attend. Sixty-six cardinals over 80
cannot take part. The person chosen as pope does not
necessarily have to be one of the cardinal electors,
but in practice almost always is.

WHERE - Starting at 4:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. EDT) Monday,
the cardinals will meet in the Sistine Chapel, under
Michelangelo's frescoes of Bible scenes including the
creation panel depicting the finger of God and the
finger of Adam nearly touching.

For the first time cardinals are accommodated in
comfort in a new Vatican hotel with private bathrooms
instead of in cramped rooms around the Sistine Chapel.
They will be banned from communicating with the
outside world -- no phones, newspapers, television,
radio or Internet.

HISTORY - The word conclave (from Latin "cum clave,"
or "with a key") dates back to the protracted election
of Celestine IV in 1241 when cardinals were locked up
in a crumbling palace. One conclave in the 13th
century lasted 2 years, 9 months and 2 days. The
average length of the eight conclaves in the 20th
century was just over 3 days. The last conclave which
elected John Paul II in 1978 lasted fewer than 3 days.

BALLOTING - The cardinals may cast their first vote on
Monday. From Tuesday morning they will vote as often
as twice each morning and twice each afternoon. After
every 3 days, cardinals suspend voting for a day. To
win, a candidate needs a two-thirds majority, or at
least 77 votes. After 33 or 34 ballots, cardinals can
decide to switch to a majority vote.

Smoke, signifying that a vote or votes have been held,
is expected to appear at around noon (6 a.m. EDT) and
7 p.m. (1 p.m. EDT) unless a candidate wins on the
first ballot in the morning or afternoon, in which
case smoke could emerge earlier.

SMOKE - After cardinals cast their votes on papers
printed with the Latin words "Eligo in Summum
Pontificem" ("I choose as Supreme Pontiff"), the
ballots are burned and smoke pours from a makeshift
chimney above the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke marks an
inconclusive vote, white smoke and the tolling of the
bells of St. Peter's Basilica mean a pope has been
elected. Additives are used to determine the color of
the smoke.

"HABEMUS PAPAM" - When a pope is chosen, a senior
cardinal appears on the balcony of St. Peter's
Basilica and announces in Latin: "Annuntio vobis
gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam" ("I announce to you
great joy. We have a pope").

The new pope later steps forward to deliver his first
public address and his first "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the
City and the World") blessing to the crowds gathered
in St. Peter's Square.

Once the new pope has accepted, he picks a name. Those
most often chosen have been John (23 times), Gregory
(16), Benedict (15) Clement (14), Innocent (13) and
Leo (13). 


© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.



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--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Nigerian Cardinal's Hometown Awaits Vatican Conclave

[meteorite_debris]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=globalNews&storyID=2005-04-18T231739Z_01_N18697913_RTRIDST_0_BIGSTORY-POPE-AFRICA-TOWN-DC.XML

http://tinyurl.com/d8vln

Nigerian Cardinal's Hometown Awaits Vatican Conclave
Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:18 AM BST

By Finbarr O'Reilly

EZIOWELLE, Nigeria (Reuters) - At a fork in the rutted
track leading through the lush landscape of
southeastern Nigeria, a billboard reads "Eziowelle for
Jesus" and an arrow points the way to the sleepy town.

With chickens scratching in the red earth, an
occasional motorbike putting by and little other
action, Eziowelle is about as far removed as possible
from the hushed stone hallways and cool frescoed domes
of Vatican City.

But this week, Eziowelle residents are not only for
Jesus, they are also for local Cardinal Francis
Arinze, who is among the 115 Roman Catholic cardinals
who entered a conclave on Monday to elect a successor
to Pope John Paul II.

Born and raised in the remote farming settlement,
Arinze, 72, is fourth in the Vatican hierarchy and is
often mentioned among the leading candidates to become
head of the world's more than one billion Catholics.

He bears the muted hopes of the world's poorest
continent and supporters say Arinze's humble origins
mean he would champion the cause of developing nations
and of Africa, which boasts the world's fastest
growing Catholic population.

"An African Pope would open up Africa to the outside
world. He would show the way we are in Africa and in
Nigeria, that we are not all thieves, we are not all
fraudulent people, we are not all bad," Ifeoma, 35, as
she came out of Mass in Lagos.

ANIMIST ROOTS

Like in many African villages, Eziowelle's school is a
run-down building with no windows and few materials.
Pupils dressed in bright pink uniforms trek long
distances to class in rubber sandals or bare feet.

"If he becomes pope, this place will become like a
small western country and we could have heaven here on
earth," said Veronica Obidike, a woman in her 60s
selling spices at the town's central market of wooden
stalls and makeshift kiosks.

Obidike said the dirt access road, which becomes an
impassable mud bath in the rainy season, should be
paved and that water services and other infrastructure
the state has failed to provide should finally be
extended to Eziowelle.

"We need all of those things. We want everything that
is good," Obidike said, voicing the widespread belief
that an African pope could bring positive change to
Africa in the way Pope John Paul helped end
communism's grip on Eastern Europe.

Born into an animist family of the region's Igbo
tribe, Arinze was not baptized until the age of 9,
when he converted to Catholicism.

"His father was a palm wine tapper and we used to go
to his father's house to drink," said an 89-year-old
villager who gave his name only as Onyeka.

Arinze's father's compound is now empty and his
mother's simple hut next door is home to the family
gardener who wears a grubby blue T-shirt with a fading
picture of a pizza and the words, "A Slice of Heaven."

Neighbors pointed to a tree in the dusty courtyard,
saying Arinze's mother was buried beneath it.

POPE DREAMS

A theological conservative who has spoken out against
homosexuality and pornography, Arinze has worked as a
consultant to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
faith, the Vatican department that keeps an eye on
doctrinal integrity.

Before moving to Rome in 1985, Arinze spent 18 years
as bishop of Onitsha, a market town near Eziowelle.

Arinze's conservative legacy lingers at his former
parish, the Church of the Holy Trinity, where women
are not allowed to enter without wearing a headscarf.
A slightly misleading sign at each entrance informs
church-goers that "females should not wear male
dresses and males should not wear female dresses."

While Catholic conservatism is faced with the
challenge of remaining relevant in a modern world, in
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, Arinze's
views are common.

"He is a good man. Every time he comes he helps us
change our bad habits and attitudes," said Christian
Ozoemenam, 20, building an extension to Eziowelle's
Saint Edward's church.

While many Nigerians openly support Arinze, most
appear fatalistic about his chances and wonder whether
the world is ready for its first African pope in more
than 1,500 years.

"I respect and love him, but I don't think the world
is ready for a black pope. It's only a tall dream,"
said local resident John Bosco George. (Additional
reporting by Ijeoma Ezekwerre in Eziowelle and Silvia
Aloisi in Lagos) 


© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.



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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Italian Pope Not Excluded if Conclave Wants Change

[meteorite_debris]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=globalNews&storyID=2005-04-18T231654Z_01_L18597405_RTRIDST_0_BIGSTORY-POPE-ITALIAN-DC.XML

http://tinyurl.com/dtxly

Italian Pope Not Excluded if Conclave Wants Change
Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:17 AM BST

By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla
broke Italy's 455-year monopoly on the papacy when he
won election in 1978. As Pope John Paul, he may also
have set the scene for another Italian pontiff in
2005.

In his 26 years, John Paul traveled the world and
defied custom as no earlier pope had ever done. But he
also overlooked the job Italians are said to be best
qualified for -- managing the Vatican bureaucracy.

If the 115 cardinals voting for the next pontiff this
week decide they need to have better governance at the
top, the natural reaction would be to look for an
Italian to do it.

Even a Pole, Warsaw Cardinal Jozef Glemp, dropped the
normal reserve about speculating to say he'd welcome
an Italian pope.

"I'm very favorable to this because I know that among
the Italian cardinals there are really some very
capable men who know what they are doing," he said
last month before his compatriot died on April 2.

"Reforming the Curia is on the agenda for the next
pope and the traditional argument is that an Italian
can do this better than a foreigner," said a European
Church official who requested anonymity.

Milan Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi seems to be the man
best placed to fit this bill, although Italian media
have mentioned at least half a dozen other local
favorites.

A VERY ROMAN CHURCH

The Catholic Church is not called "Roman" for nothing.
Its headquarters is a city-state inside Rome, its
bureaucracy is heavily Italian and its work is
conducted in that language. The pope is also the
bishop of Rome.

Beyond that, Italian and Catholic culture are so
intertwined that local Church leaders seem to have
inherited the knack for negotiation and compromise
shown by prominent politicians here.

"I'd like to see another Italian as pope," said an
American Jesuit who asked not to be named. "They're
the most pragmatic people God has ever allowed to grow
into adulthood. They would never be as rigid as John
Paul was."

Another non-European priest, a veteran of years in the
Curia, echoed that view: "The Italians know how to
finesse things -- that's what you need in a church as
big as this."

By contrast, German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the
early front-runner among papal candidates, has
insisted on clear rules. He disciplined dissidents in
his 23 years as John Paul's strict doctrinal watchdog.

He and other conservative Curia officials grew in
power over the years as John Paul left them to manage
the Vatican while he preached the Gospel around the
world.

Former Vatican diplomat John-Peter Pham said a
powerful Curia often leads to stagnation, as was seen
in the final years before Pius XII's death in 1958
that made the Church ready for the reforms of the
Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).

"So paradoxically, John Paul's long papacy could
actually undermine his legacy, if it means that
cardinals now want a change," said Pham, author of
"Heirs of the Fisherman."

REASSURING THE THIRD WORLD

A popular argument against another Italian pope says
the papacy is open to the whole world -- especially
the Global South where 70 percent of all Catholics now
live -- after the Polish pontiff broke the Italian
monopoly that dated back to 1523.

But not even all Catholics from the developing world
believe that is the best way for the Church to go.

"Even Third World cardinals are reassured at having a
European in charge. The Church is European," argued an
Asian priest working in the Curia. "If you pick a
European, he stands for all Europeans and also the
Americans and Australians.

"Look at the religious orders. Many of them have a
majority of Third World members but they prefer having
a European at the top," he said. "A European is
probably more effective." 


© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.



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--Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it."
--Matthew 16:18 
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Praying to God - and Betting on the Next Pope

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.ipsnews.net/new_nota.asp?idnews=28350

RELIGION-LATIN AMERICA:
Praying to God - and Betting on the Next Pope
Diego Cevallos* 

MEXICO CITY, Apr 18 (IPS) - If the Catholic Church
worked like a democracy, the chances that the next
pope would be from Latin America would be high. Around
45 percent of the world's Catholics live in this
region, and at least nine of the cardinals whose names
are mentioned as possible candidates are Latin
American. 

But the only thing the faithful in this region can do
is pray for their favourites -- or bet. 

Students from a Mexican university affiliated with the
Catholic Church have chosen the latter, and one of
them told IPS that in the betting, the region's
candidates are "on the heels" of the European
cardinals. 

A survey conducted early this month in Mexico by
IPSOS-Bimsa, a private polling firm, found that 41
percent of respondents want the successor to Pope John
Paul II to come from Latin America or Africa. 

The Polish-born Pope died on Apr. 2, after a 26-year
pontificate. 

An online poll by the Argentine daily La Nación found
that the favourite among Catholics in the region was
German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, closely followed by
Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. 

Despite the large proportion of the world's Catholics
living in Latin America, this region only produced
17.3 percent of the 115 members of the College of
Cardinals who began to meet Monday in the Vatican to
choose the successor to Pope John Paul II. 

And Brazil and Mexico, the two countries in the world
with the largest Catholic populations, only have seven
votes in the conclave. 

In the Church, "the size of the flock is not the
important thing when it comes to choosing a pope,
although it will have some influence," Rodolfo
Casillas, a Mexican academic who specialises in
religion, told IPS. 

"The Church is more like a monarchy, and the cardinals
who come from countries with power and wealth
apparently have a greater chance of becoming pope. But
we'll see if that's true this week," said Casillas,
who is also a researcher at the Latin American Faculty
of Social Sciences. 

Among the Latin American cardinals who have a chance,
according to observers, are Honduran Cardinal Oscar
Rodríguez Maradiaga, Argentina's Bergoglio, Darío
Castrillón and Alfonso López Trujillo from Colombia,
Javier Errázuriz from Chile, Brazil's Claudio Hummes,
Mexico's Norberto Rivera, Jaime Ortega from Cuba and
Juan Luis Cipriani from Peru. 

The most talked-about is Rodríguez Maradiaga, a
62-year-old Salesian with impressive academic
credentials and some ideas that go over well with
"progressive" factions within the Church. 

For example, he has called for the cancellation of the
developing world's foreign debt, has defended the
environment, and advocates a preferential option for
the poor (the idea that underlies liberation
theology). 

Bergoglio, 68, is a Jesuit who some see as espousing
the Church's social causes, while others say he
collaborated with Argentina's 1976-1983 military
dictatorship. 

The third most widely mentioned is 70-year-old Hummes
from Brazil. As a bishop, he opposed the military
dictatorship (1964-1985) in his country and backed
several labour strikes. However, some analysts say
that with the passage of time, he has become more and
more conservative, and point out that he has
reprimanded priests who have recommended the use of
condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. 

But observers both within and outside the Church say
the three stand little chance of being selected. 

The next pope will undoubtedly be a European, because
the cardinals from that region "have a superiority
complex that they cannot hide" and form "a majority in
the conclave," said Brazilian Cardinal Aloísio
Lorscheider, who does not have the right to vote
because he is over 80. 

A similar view was expressed by Paulo Evaristo Arns,
archbishop emeritus of the southern Brazilian city of
Sao Paulo. The possibility of the next pope being
Latin American "is very small because we are still on
the fringes of the world...history is made in Europe,
Asia and North America," he said. 

Although there are 117 cardinals eligible to vote, two
are not present in the conclave due to illness. Of the
115 who are meeting, 58 are European, 20 are Latin
American, 14 are from the United States and Canada, 11
hail from Africa, 10 from Asia and two from Oceania. 

But it is not only a question of influence. 

Brazilian priest José Oscar Beozzo, a theologian and
former chairman of the Commission for Studies of the
History of the Church in Latin America, said in an
interview that "there could be surprises in the
conclave, as history has shown, because of the
methodology used." 

"Prior to the vote, the cardinals discuss the
situation of the Church around the world, its needs
and challenges, based on reports received from
countries or regions. Later the kind of pope needed to
address these requirements is decided," he said. 

"That process would, in ge

[Pope-John-Paul-II] Vote for the next pope

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.votefornextpope.com/

A page where you can vote for the next pope or the
region he should come from.

>From the site -

"The Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will soon
start to elect a new Pope. 

It would be interesting to know what people think
about who the next Pope should be.

"We pray that the Holy Spirit illuminate the Cardinals
in the election of the new Pope."


John Paul II We’ll miss you..."



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"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
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[Pope-John-Paul-II] Behold John Paul II, a marvelous actor

[meteorite_debris]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/geted.pl5?eo20050417cp.htm

THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW

FAILURE AS A POPE
Behold John Paul II, a marvelous actor

By CONSTANTINE PLESHAKOV

MOSCOW -- Sixty years ago when friends of a young
Pole, Karol Wojtyla, grieved that the talented actor
was abandoning the stage for a Catholic seminary,
their concerns were in vain. Actually, though, the
young man never quit acting. As Pope John Paul II, he
became the greatest artistic star in the world.

It was partly due to his looks. Wojtyla was born
handsome. At the age of 60, as a young and aspiring
pope, he looked dazzling: deep-set intense eyes,
finely chiseled chin, prominent cheekbones, a yet
sparsely furrowed forehead. Even in old age and
crippled by illness, he still kept a winning
mischievous smile.

Each time he faced a crowd, unsolvable magic called
charisma happened: People went berserk with excitement
and occasionally true happiness. The pope not just
survived years of encounters with ill health -- he
needed them, getting energized and almost rejuvenated
each time.

Once, I happened to be just 50 meters away from him
during an Easter Mass at St. Peter's Square in Rome
when a friend smuggled me into a diplomatic lounge.
With the pope 40 minutes late, word passed that he had
died; but suddenly there he was, his richly
embroidered vestments sparkling like the crust of a
tropical beetle. He looked very weak, but still made
his way to the opulent throne stubbornly and slowly.

He looked tired and uninspired throughout the Mass.
Finally he started blessing the crowds in all the
languages he didn't know -- maybe 50 or 60. As his
litany progressed, his voice became crispier and
louder, his facial expression more benign and relaxed,
his bearing firmer. By the end of the event, everybody
in St. Peter's was tired except him.

John Paul was a great success as an actor. As a pope,
he was a failure. Conservative and obstinate, he put
the Catholic Church in the state of deep freeze. This
could have been the Catholics' private matter, but
unfortunately it wasn't, as a number of John Paul's
policies concerned any and every one of us.

His ban on contraception was one. Hailed as a bearer
of hope, love and forgiveness, in the age of AIDS the
pope became an accomplice to thousands of deaths
worldwide, particularly in the Third World. No matter
what he thought about the divine plan for sexual
intercourse, the role of condoms in preventing the
spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases
was a different issue. The pope's response to the
epidemic was pretty much straightforward: Don't be
promiscuous and you won't get it.

(A) Only a lunatic could ever hope to stop
extramarital, premarital or homosexual sex.

(B) Unprotected sex, leading to the spread of AIDS,
caused thousands of infants to become infected, many
of them while in the womb of their mother.

We will never know the exact number of men and women
who got infected after deciding not to use condoms
because of John Paul's charismatic preaching. Tens of
thousands? Hundreds of thousands?

Contraception is not just about personal choices.
Unprotected sex spreads not only disease but also
poverty. In socially conservative areas like Latin
America and Africa, where John Paul was more likely to
be heard, the rejection of contraceptives has led to
the births of millions of children, hardly wanted by
their parents and definitely unwanted by the society
that couldn't provide for them.

Famine, lack of medical care and gang violence in
overpopulated, drug-ridden, destitute slums have
subsequently claimed thousands of those lives. The
"champion of the poor" behaved like an irresponsible
gardener, dazed by playing God in his garden and
dumping hundreds of seeds where there wasn't enough
space for a dozen.

The pope's refusal to start ordaining women as priests
was another slap in the face of modernity. Women's
overall rights in Europe and North America were not
impaired, but the rights of females in the Third World
were. This doctrinal misogyny fortified male
prejudices in those countries. Was that what the man
especially devoted to the Virgin Mary wanted to
achieve?

What were the real accomplishments of his reign? His
contribution to the collapse of communism? Yes, he
contributed to the process, but like a rock star not
as a leader. Workers and students in his native Poland
had repeatedly and heroically rebelled against the
communist regime and Russian control. The election of
Poland's native son as pope became just a catalyst for
the ongoing Polish revolution. The cardinals who
elected him, hoping to make a powerful anticommunist
statement, deserve more credit.

His prolonged and very public suffering from sickness
and old age has been called a message of hope. On the
other hand, one might view his refusal to retire as an
obsession with power.

Numerous world leaders, particularly autocrats, cling
to power to the last breath. When the Spanish dictator
Gen. Francisco Franco Bahamonde lay