[floriduh voter]

Pope John Paul died the day after Terri died. I'm not a Catholic but what a coincidence. Pope Benedictus was writing daily to the president and to Jeb Bush to rescue Terri. The president is a methodist I think and Jeb is a Catholic but they didn't listen to the Catholic Church pleading for Terri's life.

Judge Greer is well connected but he's a corrupt judge. I'll have to pay his pension when he retires. Approx. $135,000 per year.

[tbritton]

Pope John Paul died the day after Terri died. I'm not a Catholic but what a coincidence. Pope Benedictus was writing daily to the president and to Jeb Bush to rescue Terri.

Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005 at 2:37 p.m EST, over two days after the death of Terri Schiavo, who died on March 31, 2005 at 9:05 a.m. EST.

And our new Pope's name is Benedict XVI, not "Benedictus." And while there were messages being released by the Vatican related to the Vatican's position with regard to Terri, they were not written by then-Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), although I have no doubt that he agreed with them in principle. Up until Terri's death, the Vatican's commentary was provided by Cardinal Renato Martino. Following Terri's death, the responsibility for the Vatican's reaction was placed in the hands of Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valization. There is no evidence that Cardinal Ratzinger ever wrote to either George W. Bush or Jeb Bush regarding Terri.

I don't believe that you meant any disrespect to the Catholic Church, or to Catholics, with your misstatements regarding the date of Pope John Paul II's death, and the proper papal name selected by Cardinal Ratzinger after he was elected as Pope; however, I would hope that, out of basic respect, you would not continue to make those misstatements in the future.

Most Catholics that I know, including me, do not draw any connection between the deaths of Terri Schiavo and Pope John Paul II. To do so is (in my opinion and in the opinion of other Catholics with whom I have discussed it) disrespectful to both of them. Similarly, most Catholics that I know do not draw any connection between the deaths of Lance Cpl. Tenzin Dengkhim, USMC, and Pope John Paul II...both died on April 2, 2005, the latter in Vatican City, and the former in Iraq (in service to a war that the Vatican opposed more strenuously and publicly than it did the removal of Terri Schiavo's artificial nutrition and hydration).

Obviously, you can (and probably will) continue to attempt to make a connection--that's your choice, of course, to exploit the fact of the closeness of timing of the unrelated deaths of Pope John Paul II and Terri Schiavo to attempt to score cheap political points. But please, at the very least, proceed with accuracy with regard to actual dates of those deaths, and show the very minimal respect for our Pope by using his proper papal name.

Thank you.

[jedweber]

"The president is a methodist I think and Jeb is a Catholic but they didn't listen to the Catholic Church pleading for Terri's life."

Well, they also ignored the Catholic Church, or at least Pope John Paul, pleading for the lives of prisoners facing execution in Texas. And pleading for the U.S. not to invade Iraq.

[presently no screen name]

Pope Benedictus was writing daily to the president and to Jeb Bush to rescue Terri.


Thanks. I didn't know Pope B wrote daily. I think greer is well connected BECAUSE he is corrupt. His pension will not bring him one moment of peace. The Bible states what is a man if he gains the whole world but looses his soul.

I thought it was a coincidence that Pope JP died the day after Terri - like he waited to see if someone would take a stand.