Pope given last rites
 

VATICAN CITY (CNN) -- Pope John Paul II was given the last rites of the Roman Catholic Church late Thursday night as his health deteriorated, a Vatican source has told CNN.

The pope is suffering from a high fever caused by a urinary tract infection, the Vatican confirmed Thursday -- one day after revealing he had been put on a nasal feeding tube for nutrition

The pope is taking antibiotics, a Vatican spokesman said.

Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a statement released Wednesday: "To improve his calorific intake and promote an efficient recovery of his strength, nutrition via the positioning of a nasal-gastric tube has begun."

The pope underwent a tracheotomy February 24 and still has a tube inserted in his windpipe to help his breathing.

Earlier Wednesday, the pope appeared at his studio window and blessed the thousands of faithful in St. Peter's Square.

He appeared alert during the four-minute appearance, which drew cheers from the crowd gathered beneath his window.

He raised his hand in blessing and made the sign of the cross as a Vatican official read greetings and prayers.

A microphone was raised to his face as he tried to speak, but the words were not clear.

The pope has spent a total of 28 days in two stints at Gemelli hospital in Rome in the past two months.

Nicola Cerbino, a spokesman at the hospital, said Wednesday that there was no plan to hospitalize the pope.

On Monday the pope skipped the post-Easter Angelus prayer for the first time in his 26-year papacy.

The 84-year-old pope suffers from a number of chronic illnesses, including crippling hip and knee ailments, and Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder that can make breathing difficult.

Throughout his various illnesses and brushes with death, even after the assassination attempt against him in 1981, the pope always said his life was in God's hands.

What a surprise, looks like the Catholics and Vatican are lying again.....I'd love to be a fly on the wall when the pope meets his Maker :)

Think of the scuffle that will ensue when they remove his feeding tube.

Dang it Dave, I almost blew coffee out my nose when I read that. Hmmm, if the Pope has "bat-phone" access to God, why is he even ill? What a sham.....or maybe he's getting payback.

Damn Dave! I guess I'm just not fast enough...

So to all who want him here's a question: is a pope on dope better than no pope at all?

Brad, I'm not sure where you'll be when the Pope meets our Maker, but I'd guess you won't be there. It seems clear to me that you're speaking out of a great deal of colossal ignorance, but let me ask a couple of questions. What do you think the Vatican is lying about? What did they lie about before? (please provide the actual statement) And then there is the mother of all curious remarks:

"Hmmm, if the Pope has "bat-phone" access to God, why is he even ill? What a sham.....or maybe he's getting payback."

What is meant by this? Are you thinking that religion is a sham unless someone can coax God into letting them skip the death part?

I guess what your saying is that the Pope, if being the rightful leader of the Church has devine access beyond mortals - well, I think that you have read way too many comic books. The guy is a leader of a very large and powerful religion. He may not like the fact that his staff spins stories about his condition in order not to create panic and have anyone lose faith or respect. Many folks reguard the Pope as a demi-god of sorts. This may not be the best thing but consider that many believers are still lambs with little guidence or education. This Pope was never about being closer to God than other folks but if thats what it takes for folks to believe - better that than something more distructive.

His message has always been of peace and tolerance while trying to balance the very sensitive transition of Vatican II to the next millienium.

When he dies, the world will have lost a great man who tried to do right by the Catholic religion and also to try and understand other relgions as well. Not an easy thing to do. Any dispariging remarks about him only show ignorance for a kind soul.

(What are you having for dinner - kitten stew?)

Super, yes, I will be there and I am not being ignorant. Catholics can be Christians, but Christians are NOT Catholics. I really wish the media would stop using the word Christian to commonly describe different beliefs, esecially where Catholicism is concerned. And for crying out loud, why is it news-worthy to have a news segment about a sandwich or streaks on a window with the image of the virgin mary on it? My comment about the bat-phone access was more of a back-handed comment, because from what I know, one has to commit several miracles to become a saint and I guess I wonder why one of those miracles would not be to heal the pope, the grand pubah of the Catholic faith. Be assured, no one can coax God into skipping death. He knew before I was born when I will pass. I know what I believe and others are free to believe what they desire.

This is an informed statement. Those of you who are tempted to make disparaging remarks about Pope John Paul II should first do yourselves the favor of gathering just a skosh of information about that man. His death will remove probably the one world political (using that term loosely) leader that is universally respected by all the others.

wait, does the Pope get a special line with TSA? Is that okay? :cool:

First of all, I hate cats :)

I never said the Pope was not a kind, tolerant, diplomatic, etc.... person, nor that his death will not be a loss.

What is the purpose of confession if those who are higher in the Catholic pyramid are NOT closer to God? It's my understanding, perhaps wrong, that the priests and higher are the ones allowed to talk to God, or pass along forgiveness of sins. If this does not imply "closer to God", I do not know what does. And yes, some people I have talked to actuall believe the Pope "is" the right hand of God....

He wouldn't take the special line even if it was offered.

Fair 'nuff. I have been Catholic all my life and I'm no priest or theologian, but I have a sense of how the Church might answer some of your questions. Yes, in a way some folks will leave you thinking that the Pope is at God's right hand. Kinda. Kinda not. Same with being "closer" to God. As far as the sacrament of Reconciliation (confession), that is an authority granted to priests not by virtue of their pureness or closeness to God, but rather it is a delegated authority that is named without necessarily being earned. Sure, we hope and expect that priests will hold themselves to a higher standard, but they do not earn the right to hear confessions. It is conferred upon them without regard for deservedness. All authority is God's. All authority. God (Jesus) conferred certain authorities upon Peter, and it is that set of authorities which have been handed down through the centures and millenia. John Paul has them at the moment. If you want the cite I gate provide it. Jesus told Peter that whatever he binds on Earth will be bound in Heaven, and what he looses on Earth will be loosed in Heaven. For example. Peter was the one who denied Christ three times on the morning of Jesus death. Jesus knew that all along. The bible is an interesting book. CS Lewis thought he would use it to disprove the existence of God. Something quite different became the result of Mr. Lewis' research.

Okay, 'nuff preaching from Superman.

Okay, I just read your previous post Brad. Again, fair 'nuff. You seem more circumspect now. Bat phones and other news stories are not aired by the Vatican. (Indeed, there is a story about Mother Theresa. she was in a TV studio. Her life work was to feed starving, dying human skeletons in Calcutta. There was a commercial break. Diet products and other bits of conspicuous consumption. She was heard to remark under her breath "Looks like God is needed in television studios also." I find that enormously amusing. Another quick story: Ronald Reagan was preparing to give MT a medal. The highest medal he could confer on a non-military person (the Freedom Medal I think it's called). It was made of gold. Just before the ceremony he remarked "I think this is probably the first time an American President has given this medal to someone, knowing with certainty that it will be melted down and sold to feed the poor. Okay, I digress) Miracles by the way, are not actions of humans. They are accomplished through humans and at times they seem to honor or commemorate humans (this last group is often what Church researchers are looking for during the canonization process). but they are the actions of a Being that is most decidedly not human.

I'm not a Catholic, but I believe this Pope is a man worthy of great respect for all his efforts for peace and understanding throughout his lifetime of service. Whatever your beliefs, he lived his beliefs and made the world a tiny bit better by his efforts. I hope the end of his life here will be treated with respect and solemnity.

Funny, he never gave out a single condom to a single ignorant Third-World person embattled with either poverty, overpopulation and/or AIDS. Otherwise, he's a good man.

The Pope, by definition is "the servant of the servants of God".

Any disparaging remarks simply show the hate and ignorance they have done one percent of the good this man has done to further world peace?

Thought not.

Right on, DD.

:mad:

I have my own personal issues w/ the Catholic church, which is the religion I was born into as well as all of my countless ancestors on both sides, but I consider it completely out of bounds and wrong to disparage anyone's religion or faith.

Which is to say that I agree about the church's unfathomable stand on birth control and population growth, but I draw the line at mocking a religion in even a semi-public media where someone will be offended or hurt by it. I realize that not everyone feels the same, but I just wanted to say it.

As for the Pope, I'll miss him dearly. When he went into the Italian(?) prison to personally forgive the guy who shot him, it shocked me to my core and reminded me of the good part of my religion, which is a lofty moral position that I will never attain but become a better person for even striving. :cool:

I'm not a religious man at all. Pope John has been an inspiration to so many people all over the world. We are on the verge of losing this great man. Whoever you are and whatever you believe, this man stands for good. Those of you who fail to show respect, merely display your ignorance. I'm sure he forgives you as well.

What's that supposed to mean? Respect grants knowledge and insight? Or are you not familiar with the term "There are two sides to every story?"

No one here, truly, is completely disparaging the pope as a man. As a figurehead for the institution that is the Vatican, however, different and more intense scrutiny should apply.

{rant mode}
As a catholic, I have to say that I am offended by the lack of respect for the pope (bat-phone?). Yes I can't say that I agree with all his policies, most namely his stand on birth control. But at the same time you have to give some respect to the religious leader of 1/6th of the worlds population, and a leader who has advocated for human rights in all it's forms, even when he was in the places that were the worst offenders.

He has lived a life of nonsecularism that has been an inspiration to millions and here at the end of his long life, is the time that he should receive the respect and reverence that 27 years of papal work should bring.

{/rant mode}

Anyone up for a pool on when they're going to start playing white smoke/black smoke? I give him to the end of next week. Better yet, how about a pool on his sucessor? I only personally know a single cardinal (Roger Mahoney) so I'm ill equipped to lay out the odds.

Funny how people will demand respect for the pope, yet dis Muslim religious leaders as raghead wackos.

I am an athee but there are 2 religious leaders that I respect for their peaceful view of the world, the Pope and the Dalai Lama.

Sadly we are about to lose one of them.

Comparing "raghead whackos" to the pope? Smells the same as comparing Bush to Hitler. I think the pope defenders were appalled at the demeaning statements "bat phone". I do not think any of them are demanding anyone to "respect" the pope, just don't make light of him (especially while he is on his death bed!).

I still don't get why some posters have such obvious pure hatred for anything Christian. They wage a perpetual attack (via their posts), but no one had better mention any of Islam's problems. The hypocrisy puzzles me.

And, I find making fun of anyone on their death bed to be sickening.

- Skip

Thom, Thom, Thom...you're such a silly! :)

Don't you know anything, you crazy kid? The only Muslim leaders considered "raghead whackos" are the same ones who support killing. Surely you knew that and are just here to stir the pot, right???? ;)

I'm not a catholic, nor do I play one on TV, but I really don't recall the Pope calling for the death of anyone. Not even Mehmet Ali Agca, who I believe may have BEEN a muslim.

Randy

dd, I like you and you know that so don't take this personally. Folks who think the Pope should endorse birth control just don't get it. His job is not to save peoples' lives, but rather their souls. This is a really complex subject and I'll not dive deeply into the theological implications, but just tell you guys that if youy're looking to the Pope to condone birth control, then you're looking at the wrong guy. This is not his job. And whoever's job it is, is going to fail anyway. It's not a question of whether we're going to die, it's a question of when. And neither of those two questions are relevant to the Pope. His question is what happens AT death. Here's another clue: If abortions are legal, the libs are happy. If they are illegal the cons are happy. If they become unnecessary then God and the Pope will be happy. Hope you guys can begin to grok this.

I'm not personally offended or angry with the bat phone remarks and other ignorant remarks and unkind, hate-centered remarks. But there is no doubt this man has earned a GREAT deal more respect than that, and it is satisfying to see even non-Christian posters here who do understand that. This has been one of the finest Popes of all time.

I don't know any of the potential candidates but I'm sure the list of frontrunners was kept updated and I'd guess the key questions the popemakers asked themselves when picking their current candidates was a short reign or a long one, a conservative or radical, a theologian or a diplomat. My guess, because of the time JPll has been pope, would be a conservative caretaker who is on in years for a short reign with no change.

The italian press is reporting his death.

Italian TV reports he is fading. Electroencephalogram (ecg?) not flat. Cardinals already flying in from all over the world.

NO NO NO ....I'm a Demigod...the Pope is just a man...a servant of God....

What people here in America don't realize is how instrumental Pope Paul was in bringing down Communism....far more than the American Icon Ronald Reagan...

1. If you recall it was the Solidarity Movement in POLAND that was the breech in the dike of the Soviet Union....and where is the Pope from?????HUH! The shadow government in Poland has always been the Catholic church...Poland was the only Soviet Bloc country that didn't have collectivization of farms...

2. The Bulgarian Secret Service at the behest of the KGB tried to assinate him in 1981....what other Pope had the KGB ever tried to get rid of....

Nop Pope paul did a lot of GOOD in the world...even if he was conservative in nature and didn't do well with the churchs dirty laundry...

Just to show my ignorance :), what is the hierarchy? Priest, Archbishop, Cardinal? Which would be next in line?

In theory any male catholic could be elected, in practice the conclave of eligible cardinals (some cardinals are ineligible to vote because of their age) will propose and ballot to elect from amongst their number. However, the real popemakers/powerbrokers maintain a shortlist of potential candidates - the "Papabili" (potential candidates for the post).

Cardinals are highest. They're the ones wearing the cardinal red robes. There are very few of them, very very few in America. Popes are nearly always chosen from European cardinals. Actually, they are almost always Italian. A Polish Pope is a very different thing. See how the Church is loosening up? (joke)