Posted on 04/07/2005 4:12:16 PM PDT by NYer
What YOU say has no bearing on the facts. And the facts are that the Square was packed and is universally acknowledged to hold 250,000-300,000.
The Basilica has a capacity of over 60,000, if you do some reasearch. From maps you can see that you can put 2 Saint Peters Basilica's inside the Square, plus add the avenue full of people (Via della Conciliazione) that leads up to Saint Peters Square, you can say that there was a great amount of people there from the images we all saw. More than what you believe to be the truth. God Bless and I'll say a Hail Mary for you! THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE!
"Unnoticed" indeed:
Only in your fevered imagination. It doesn't look partially empty to me. And that doesn't even include those lined all the way down the Via della Concillazione to the Tiber:
I spent a large part of yesterday watching portions of the Funeral and then the replay ...just a beautiful service....love the sistine choir....breathtaking sight.,..with such deep meaning.
Here is the text of the music, which is pretty spectacular in and of itself, you'll see where I am driving at once you hear it (note: The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II starts singing at about 3 minutes 19 seconds into the song):
Attende, Domine, et miserere, quia peccavimus tibi.
Liturgia quaresimale
Non enim accepistis spiritum servitutis
sed accepistis spiritum adoptionis filiorum
in quo clamamus: Abbà Pater.
Romani 8,15
Tu sei mio figlio, io oggi ti ho generato.
Salmo 2,7
Io gli sarò Padre ed Egli mi sarà Figlio.
2 Sam 7,14
Sono parole profetiche: esse parlano di Dio, che è Padre nel senso
più alto e più autentico della parola. Dice Isaia: "Signore, tu sei nostro Padre: noi siamo argilla e tu Colui
che ci dà forma; tutti noi siamo opera delle tue mani".
Isaia 64,8
Shema Israel!
Sion ha detto: "Il Signore mi ha abbandonato, il Signore mi ha
dimenticato". Si dimentica forse una donna del suo bambino? Anche se ci fosse una donna che si dimenticasse, io invece
non ti abbandonerò mai.
Isaia 49,14-15
Shema Israel!
È significativo che nei brani del profeta Isaia la paternità di Dio si
arricchisca di connotazioni che si ispirano alla maternità.
Gesù annuncia molte volte la paternità di Dio nei riguardi degli uomini
riallacciandosi alle numerose espressioni contenute nell'Antico Testamento.
Per Gesù, Dio non è solamente il Padre d'Israele, il Padre degli
uomini, ma il Padre suo, il Padre mio.
Udienza generale, Città del Vaticano, 16 ottobre 1985
Pater noster qui es in coelis,
sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum,
fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in coelo et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,
et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostri,
et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo.
Matteo 6,9-13
San Pietro, Roma, 22 marzo 1995
Source: http://www.abbapater.com/
Of course that isn't the whole crowd, there were tent cities and big screen monitors set up at various places around Rome, and the Mass itself had a worldwide audience of 2 billion watching from cathedrals, churches, parks, and even their own homes. If there ever was an event that stopped the world in it's tracks, this would be the one.
Thank You so much BigSkyFreeper
Right. The rest of us are talking about the Funeral Mass on April 8, 2005, this picture is of the transfer of the body of John Paul II to St Peter's Basilica. Of course there wouldn't be as many people, because the swell of people hadn't arrived yet for the public viewing which took place a few hours later.
You're welcome. I knew you would like that. :)
Thank you for the ping and the link. The more we learn about his life, poetry and writings, the greater he becomes.
In this photo made available by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, the crypt containing the tomb of Pope John Paul II is seen in the grottos beneath St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Saturday, April 9, 2005. The late pontiff was buried on Friday.
AP Photo/Osservatore Romano
Published: Saturday, April 9, 2005
Thanks for all these new pictures!
Undated file photo of the Holy Father praying before the tomb of St. Peter.
Eternal Rest grant unto him, O Lord!
And may Perpetual Light Shine upon him.
I was completely blown away by it myself. Naturally I love Gregorian chants set to music, but hearing the Holy Father singing in Italian was spectacular. I was impressed. I had no idea he was a talented singer. :)
Thank you SO much for that site, BSF -- it is extraordinary beautiful -- tears, just tears at how moving it is to hear his voice set to such glorious accompaniment.
bttt
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