Posted on 09/30/2003 7:15:09 AM PDT by Dog
German Cardinal Says Pope 'In a Very Bad Way' Tue September 30, 2003 08:23 AM ET BERLIN (Reuters) - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the German head of the Vatican body which oversees doctrinal matters, was quoted on Tuesday as saying Pope John Paul was in very poor health and the faithful should pray for him. "He is in a very bad way," Ratzinger told Germany's Bunte magazine in an interview. "We should pray for the pope."
Ratzinger, who heads the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, told the magazine that the 83-year-old pope had taken on too much, but he was unable to stop him.
The increasingly frail pope was particularly weak earlier this month on a trip to Slovakia and needed help reading his sermons. Last week, he skipped his general audience because of what the Vatican said was an intestinal problem.
Ratzinger's private secretary, Georg Gaenswein, said it was amazing how the pope, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease, kept going.
"He can't walk and stand anymore but he is a hero for the faithful. The fact that he doesn't give up despite his illness makes him even more credible," Gaenswein told Bunte.
He said the pope would not give up traveling. "When he is no longer allowed to travel, then dear God will come for him," Gaenswein said.
The leader of the world's one billion Roman Catholics, who marks his 25th anniversary next month, appointed 31 new cardinals on Sunday, possibly putting his last stamp on the group that will one day choose his successor.
As a Bible based Christian, I'd have to say he is self employed and he is his own boss.
"The Pope has a will to work and to travel that is stronger than his physical body. It's a shame you think that the old and weak should just be warehoused and shuttered until death. You've a lot to learn about dignity."
You sound like a worn out recorder. When someone is dying, as the pope is, parading him around does nothing to give the man dignity. I hope when you eventually die, you can do it privately without pressure from anyone to perform.
It seems to me that you and I will never agree on this so believe what you've been conditioned to believe or risk excommunication. I don't have that threat over my head since the church is the body of believers not a human run organization and based on the Bible. SD
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