[Dog]

This is breaking on Fox...

[Paladin2b]

I don't doubt that it is likely that JPII is rapidly headed towards the end of his pontificate, but all the same I should dispel some ideas people have that Ratzinger is the ultimate source of "the truth" about papal health. Ratzinger and the Pope are very close intellectually and theologically, but have never been especially personally close. That's importnant, in that it means that Ratzinger isn't as keyed in to the state of the Pontiff's health as say, Navarro-Valls, or some of the papal chamberlains, who aren't saying much. We've seen the papal "death watch" a few times before in the last 10 years.

[ppaul]

[Aquinasfan]

The pope reminds me of my 82-year-old mother-in-law who since retirement has spent 20 solid years watching soap operas and playing the slots. < /sarcasm>

[Pan_Yans Wife]

May God be with him and bless him.

PYW- a Protestant

[MEGoody]

Wish they'd let Popes retire. This gentleman has been ill for a long time. Last time I saw him on TV, he was drooling. How sad.

[LibKill]

I'm not Catholic (although many friends and relatives are), but I have always thought well of this Pope.

His moral stand against the real Evil Empire (Soviet Communism, for those who are too young to remember it), was nothing short of outstanding.

As for some of his objections to our U.S. policy in the last couple of years. I always reminded myself that he was getting on in years and that he was not an American.

He has done a lot of good. I'd put him up there with Reagan and Thatcher in worldly terms.