Somber ping.
I'm afraid to go to bed.
Fri Apr 1, 3:14 PM ET A Swiss guard closes the Bronze Door for the night, at the Vatican, Friday, April 1, 2005. This door is traditionally closed every night as seen here, and over the centuries it is also closed when a pope dies and is kept shut until a new pontiff is elected. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Bronze Door Reopens, Signaling Pope Alive
By WILLIAM J. KOLE, Associated Press Writer
VATICAN CITY - The bronze door off St. Peter's Square reopened early Saturday to allow the faithful to morning Mass — one sign among many that Pope John Paul II was still alive.
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. Other signs include the closing of the massive bronze portal beneath a portico off St. Peter's and drawn shutters in the pontiff's apartment.
The modern use of Bronze Door 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 around 8 p.m. and reopened in the morning.
And papal observers say it's not clear whether the shutting of the door even in daytime would precede or follow an official announcement. The door remains closed until a new pontiff is elected.
Some also are watched 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 the pope's spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, meaning the world would know by the time Ruini read out the news.
The formal Vatican tradition goes like this:
When a pope dies, the prefect of the papal household, currently American Archbishop James Harvey, tells the camerlengo, or chamberlain, who is the most important official running the Holy See in the period between the death of a pope and the election of a new one.
The camerlengo, now Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo of Spain, must then verify the death — a process which in the past was done by striking the forehead of the pope with a silver hammer. The camerlengo then calls out to the pope three times by his baptismal name -- Karol, Karol, Karol. When the pope does not respond, the camerlengo then announces "the pope is dead."
The camerlengo then uses the silver hammer to smash the pope's ring, the "ring of the fisherman," to preclude forgery of official documents.
He then tells the vicar of Rome, who then informs the people of the city.
The prefect of the papal household then tells the dean of the College of Cardinals, now Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who then formally informs the rest of the college, ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, and heads of state around the world.
I'm not Catholic but I have followed his life for years and have a ton of respect for the man. This world will be a much colder place once he is gone. God Bless him.
The pope knows that it is dyingISCED the VATICAN - the pope Jean Paul II "knows that it is dying and it made me a last safety", declared Saturday the cardinal German Joseph Ratzinger, senior of Crowned college, quoted by the chains of information uninterrupted Sky Italia.
The Ratzinger cardinal was allowed with the bedside of the pope Saturday morning.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Take Lord and receive into Your Most Sacred Heart our Brother, Pastor and Guide, Karol, Pope John Paul II. May the love he bears you remain with us as a light and an example for us to follow.
POPE: NAVARRO, UP-DATE IN THE AFTERNOON, MAYBE TONIGHT
(AGI) - Vatican City, Apr. 2 - "You need to be up to date", this is how Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro Valls explained the intensification of frequency in the provision of information when the Pope's conditions progressively worsen. "This afternoon I will see the Pope at around 17:30, after that I will give you an up-date". Navarro also stated that the "press room will be kept open the whole night if necessary". Navarro's specification unfortunately makes understand that it could not be necessary to keep the press room open also tonight. "In any case, important news will not be communicated by short messages via mobile phone but directly to journalists, this is why the press room is always open", he declared.
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021440 APR 05 (6:40 am CST Apr 02, 2005)
http://www.agi.it/english/news.pl?doc=200504021440-1080-RT1-CRO-0-NF11&page=0&id=agionline-eng.oggitalia
Link to ETWN streaming feeds links for RealPlayer and MSPlayer
http://www.ewtn.com/audiovideo/index.asp
Free-lancing Protestant praying for you folks today.
He went the same way my mom went, so be comforted in knowing that he is not in pain and is comfortable.
During his3/16/05 appearance on Coast, Father Andrew Wingate shared prophetic visions regarding Pope John Paul II. On that show, Wingate predicted the Pope will be cured of a serious illness.
Despite the recent reports coming from the Vatican of the Pope's failing health, Wingate believes the Pope's death is not imminent. During the first hour of Friday's show, he said the Pope would be cured by a group of mystics who will travel to Rome and become important figures in the church. If the Pope does pass away, however, Wingate said he would "have to reevaluate many things."
Just to inform those who are interested in Fr. Wingate and his prophecies. Please hold the flames and sarcasm. This well-known Priest also predicted the Pope's serious illness.
Pray for the Pope as I do. Peace be with you.