Friday, April 01, 2005

Vatican Denies Rumors of Pope's Death

Reuters is reporting that an Italian news source leaked the story of the Pope's death. But the Vatican is denying those reports, insisting that the Pope is clinging to life.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jan Paweł II powiedział Nie lękajcię się - za to Go kocham i za słowa powiedziane na Wersterplatte o ty ze trzeb BYC
Jan Paweł II jedyny autorytet dla mnie Kasia z Sopotu - kakobe@wp.pl

Anonymous said...

Some comments that were previously on this post have been removed due to indecent and abusive language. Please refrain from using this blog as a forum for hateful political speech. We reserve the right to remove comments on this blog that we deem tasteless.

Anonymous said...

I guess Tom Delay will now ask for a Congressional hearing to find out why the church did not do everything possible to keep him alive, like demanding a miracle or something.

Of course, unless someone pays Delay a lot of money - he won't give a damn.

Matthew Keys said...

MSNBC says Eurovision reports the Vatican will make a statement soon.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure why people want to basically lie about the situation. I am sure the vatican will let us all know when the Holy Father dies. Why would they hold the information? The Father obviously knows his time has come. Most likely the Holy Father is in a nice sleep, and perhaps he will pass away in his sleep. Go with God.

Anonymous said...

Hey you are on msnbc right now

I-lean said...

When will the Vatican update? They've been reporting an "update soon" for the last hour and a half!!!! I pray for him.

Anonymous said...

A good and holy man is near death. We should all pray:

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, And let prepetual life shine upon him. May He rest in peace. Amen

Anonymous said...

jesus lives, live jesus!~

Anonymous said...

We were on MSNBC??

EdWonk said...

John Paul II has helped change the world...for the better.

Anonymous said...

Those who go out of their way to defame and ridicule a great man of faith as he dies and others mourn deserve our pity. Forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Anonymous said...

I feel that the only confirmation we'll need is the white smoke or the windows to go dark and close. Until that, I'm not going to believe anyone. Not CNN, FOX, MSNBC or the others. Albiet, it wasn't even from a source, I'm not trusting the media with this one without proof. Call me a Thomas, but that's how I feel now. Prayers with him always.

Anonymous said...

Hi! I'm a polish girl. Pope must live!!! He has changed world. Let's pray for Him.

Anonymous said...

VATICAN CITY (AP) 4.01.05, 12:10p -- A closed bronze door. Drawn shutters. Tolling bells. Somber music. They are all signs that a pontiff has passed.

Over the centuries, the most traditional and telling signal that a pope has died has been the tolling of the Vatican's bells, which prompts churches across Rome to join in.

But there is also the symbolic shutting of the Bronze Door, a massive portal beneath a portico off St. Peter's Square that is closed when a pope dies and is kept shut until a new pontiff is elected.

Its modern use is spotty. In 1978, when two popes died in rapid succession, the tradition was ignored. Under normal circumstances, the Bronze Door is closed every night at about 8 p.m. and reopened in the morning, making it unsuitable for a nighttime announcement.

And papal observers say it's not clear whether the shutting of the door even in daytime would precede or follow an official announcement.

Pope-watchers also are keeping a watchful eye on the shutters of the two windows at the side of Pope John Paul II's third-floor apartment overlooking St. Peter's Square. Some say the closing of the shutters can be the first tangible sign of a death.

Tradition dictates that the pope's vicar for Rome, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, would make a formal announcement to Romans. The Vatican almost certainly would have made an earlier announcement to the media, either via Vatican Radio, which then plays somber music, or through the pope's spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, meaning the world would know by the time Ruini read out the news.
-end-

We cannot rush God's time. All that we can do is pray for a quiet and peaceful passing. The Holy Father has not only taught us how to live, forgive people who wrong us, (1981 shooting), and dying with grace. One day I plan to meet him...

Anonymous said...

CNN covered you blog at about 5:15 today ! Without that news, I would not even know that this site existed ! Thank you for giving us a place to watch the accurate news.
What an enormous contrast to the circus surrounding the death of Schivao...This is the Pope who has paralleled the lives of my children; I am deeply touched and deeply appreciative of your work and CNN's coverage of your work.

Lorenzo said...

Lord, Hear our prayers.

Anonymous said...

Writedonnie,

We're doing our best to keep up with the comments.

I wish I could get recordings of the shows on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, CBC, and BBC.

Anonymous said...

Some comments posted have displayed gross ignorance and great disrepect. The Pope is the Spiritual Leader of 1.1 billion Roman Catholics. And, the Pope leads a Church that does (arguably) more than any other nation, other than the United States, or other religion for the good of the world and all people.

Anonymous said...

God bless you for the wonderful blog you have created. I only discovered it today, but I'm very grateful for it.

Words fail me to describe what I feel about JPII. He is almost like a father to me, and a man I sincerely trust with all my heart. May God receive him with open arms for all the love he gave us during his life, and may He give us the strength to keep praying for his sucessor.

Anonymous said...

May God Bless and keep his holiness close in his final hours. Everyone will miss this outstanding man of peace.

Anonymous said...

By his actions, the Holy Father has defended the value of life and the value of mitigating suffering. He now shows us a happy death. God bless and reward you, JPII -- we do love you!

Anonymous said...

May God bless America, but not George Bush... He's a boob.

Anonymous said...

Prayers from our family goes out to the Pope & the Vatican in this difficult time. Bless you all.
Prayers from SCarolina.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Rooster_Dude,

I don't know many things. But I do know this: the Pope is going to heaven!

I'd also like to point out that hateful posts are not welcome here. I believe in free speech, so if you want to spread your hate, you're free to do it on your own Web site and I won't grudge you that.

But not here! This is The Pope Blog, and I will be moderating comments like a hawk :)

Anonymous said...

My apologies to everyone for my insensitivity at this a very tearful time for many Catholics. Again, I am sorry.

Anonymous said...

Joe, your reference to Reagan touched me. It does seem that those of 'that time' are leaving us.

I'm not Catholic, but do have great respect for the work that John Paul II has done.

He is a man of magnificent faith, and has shown us (by example) how to live a life for God. And now, he's shown us how to face death with dignity.

My heart goes out to him, his family, and to all he has touched in his life.

Anonymous said...

The Pope was a very kind and caresmatic man. Everyone loved him, even non-Catholics. He touched many peoples hearts. I admire him for how he forgave people. For example, after the assassination attempt, and he was well again, he forgave this awful man. Not many people can forgive others for things this horrible. I admire the Pope very much. I hope that his after life is good, and I will pray for him every night.