In this Discussion
- formerly shades of blue April 2005
- M4417 April 2005
- mathispower23 April 2005
- RejectedSponge April 2005
- sweetpea0431 April 2005
- TDrennan April 2005
- Thomas April 2005
- WeMadeShirts April 2005
Pope givin his last rites
Vatican source: Pope given last rites
Pontiff in 'serious' condition but responding to antibiotics
In the Catholic Church, the last rites began as a ritual of healing, but the emphasis shifted over time to forgiving the sins of a dying person as preparation for going to heaven.
The church has tried to return to the original meaning of the sacrament by emphasizing that it is not only for those who are close to death but also for anyone who is ill, by calling it the Anointing of the Sick or the Sacrament of Anointing.
The Anointing of the Sick is performed by a priest who applies oil blessed by a bishop to the organs of the five senses -- eyes, ears, nostrils, lips and hands -- feet, and, for men, loins, although the last step is not always followed.
In cases in which death might come before the ritual can be completed, the priest might anoint only the forehead.
Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia; American Catholic
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VATICAN CITY (CNN) -- Pope John Paul II's condition remained "serious" early Friday, but he appeared to be responding well to antibiotic treatment for a urinary tract infection that caused him to develop a fever, a Vatican official said.
Thursday night, as his health deteriorated, the pontiff was given the last rites of the Roman Catholic Church, a Vatican source told CNN.
The sacrament does not necessarily mean that the pope is dying. Last rites -- also known as the sacrament of the sick or extreme unction -- are commonly given to people who are seriously ill as well.
The pope received the sacrament after he was shot by a would-be assassin in 1981.
The pope is suffering from a high fever caused by a urinary tract infection, the Vatican confirmed earlier Thursday -- one day after revealing he had been put on a nasal feeding tube.
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a statement released Wednesday: "To improve his calorific intake and promote an efficient recovery of his strength, nutrition via the positioning of a nasal-gastric tube has begun."
Medical sources at Gemelli hospital in Rome, whre the pope has been hospitalized twice since February, told CNN that no provisions are being made for the pope to be readmitted for treatment.
The 84-year-old pope suffers from a number of chronic illnesses, including crippling hip and knee ailments, and Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder that can make breathing difficult.
The pope was hospitalized from February 1 to February 10 for respiratory difficulties. He returned to the hospital for a tracheotomy February 24 and was discharged March 13.
Ill health forced him to miss a number of events during Holy Week.
On Easter Sunday, the pope tried to speak to a crowd assembled in St. Peter's Square but could not get out the words. He made the sign of the cross with his hand instead. (Full story)
On Monday, he skipped the post-Easter Queen of Heaven prayer for the first time in his 26-year papacy. The traditional appearance on the Monday after Easter has marked the end of the Holy Week celebrations. (Full story)
The pope's death, whenever it comes, will leave a "very large gap that's going to have to be filled," said Monsignor Kevin Irwin of Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
"His illness has given us time to prepare ourselves," he said Thursday. "On the other hand, this is going it be a very, very significant papacy to follow.
"This man made the papacy bigger than life," he said. "He is a man who has been an international traveler involved in many relations with other faiths."
Also in Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick urged Catholics and non-Catholics alike to pray for the pope.
"May he recover. We pray for that. May the Lord give him strength, and may he be able once again to communicate in the way he has done in the past, with such heart and such wisdom," McCarrick said. "But if this is not the Lord's will, then may he not suffer, because he is certainly going through a period of suffering now."
The use of a feeding tube for the pope illustrates his position on treatment for the critically ill.
In 2004, he wrote that doctors have a moral duty to preserve life.
"The administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural way of preserving life ... not a medical procedure."
The Vatican has criticized a Florida judge's order to remove the feeding tube from Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged woman who died Thursday after nearly two weeks without food or water. (Full story)
Pontiff in 'serious' condition but responding to antibiotics
In the Catholic Church, the last rites began as a ritual of healing, but the emphasis shifted over time to forgiving the sins of a dying person as preparation for going to heaven.
The church has tried to return to the original meaning of the sacrament by emphasizing that it is not only for those who are close to death but also for anyone who is ill, by calling it the Anointing of the Sick or the Sacrament of Anointing.
The Anointing of the Sick is performed by a priest who applies oil blessed by a bishop to the organs of the five senses -- eyes, ears, nostrils, lips and hands -- feet, and, for men, loins, although the last step is not always followed.
In cases in which death might come before the ritual can be completed, the priest might anoint only the forehead.
Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia; American Catholic
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
Pope John Paul II
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Manage alerts | What is this?
VATICAN CITY (CNN) -- Pope John Paul II's condition remained "serious" early Friday, but he appeared to be responding well to antibiotic treatment for a urinary tract infection that caused him to develop a fever, a Vatican official said.
Thursday night, as his health deteriorated, the pontiff was given the last rites of the Roman Catholic Church, a Vatican source told CNN.
The sacrament does not necessarily mean that the pope is dying. Last rites -- also known as the sacrament of the sick or extreme unction -- are commonly given to people who are seriously ill as well.
The pope received the sacrament after he was shot by a would-be assassin in 1981.
The pope is suffering from a high fever caused by a urinary tract infection, the Vatican confirmed earlier Thursday -- one day after revealing he had been put on a nasal feeding tube.
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a statement released Wednesday: "To improve his calorific intake and promote an efficient recovery of his strength, nutrition via the positioning of a nasal-gastric tube has begun."
Medical sources at Gemelli hospital in Rome, whre the pope has been hospitalized twice since February, told CNN that no provisions are being made for the pope to be readmitted for treatment.
The 84-year-old pope suffers from a number of chronic illnesses, including crippling hip and knee ailments, and Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder that can make breathing difficult.
The pope was hospitalized from February 1 to February 10 for respiratory difficulties. He returned to the hospital for a tracheotomy February 24 and was discharged March 13.
Ill health forced him to miss a number of events during Holy Week.
On Easter Sunday, the pope tried to speak to a crowd assembled in St. Peter's Square but could not get out the words. He made the sign of the cross with his hand instead. (Full story)
On Monday, he skipped the post-Easter Queen of Heaven prayer for the first time in his 26-year papacy. The traditional appearance on the Monday after Easter has marked the end of the Holy Week celebrations. (Full story)
The pope's death, whenever it comes, will leave a "very large gap that's going to have to be filled," said Monsignor Kevin Irwin of Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
"His illness has given us time to prepare ourselves," he said Thursday. "On the other hand, this is going it be a very, very significant papacy to follow.
"This man made the papacy bigger than life," he said. "He is a man who has been an international traveler involved in many relations with other faiths."
Also in Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick urged Catholics and non-Catholics alike to pray for the pope.
"May he recover. We pray for that. May the Lord give him strength, and may he be able once again to communicate in the way he has done in the past, with such heart and such wisdom," McCarrick said. "But if this is not the Lord's will, then may he not suffer, because he is certainly going through a period of suffering now."
The use of a feeding tube for the pope illustrates his position on treatment for the critically ill.
In 2004, he wrote that doctors have a moral duty to preserve life.
"The administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural way of preserving life ... not a medical procedure."
The Vatican has criticized a Florida judge's order to remove the feeding tube from Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged woman who died Thursday after nearly two weeks without food or water. (Full story)
Comments
i mean.... it sucks that he's dying but.... i don'tknow.
i mean.... it sucks that he's dying but.... i don'tknow.
I feel as though I should be feeling more than I am.. I'm not Catholic, but it just seems like everyone is making this out to be such a huge thing.. I guess I just don't fully understand what the international craziness is about.
he's not jesus or anything.
sucks hes dying, but everyones gotta go sometime.
my boyfriends uncle is a bishop, so when i heard a while ago he was dying i was like, "well! ill keep my fingers crossed for alex!" [hoping hell move up to cardinal or something, then pope someday
anyway his family got to meet the pope a few years ago. in a private room..kissed the ring and everything. because of the uncle, and then another uncle is also a priest and also a close family friend.
i'm beyond atheist, but i like to brag about their family anyway. hahaha.
Why should we care?
Did we know him personally?
What kind of work does the Pope do?
What does it mean to serve as head of the Roman Catholic Church of Christ?
How many Roman Catholic Christians are in the world anyway?
I don't know the statistics, but even if you don't feel that this Pope affected you directly, he and the papacy are of international and historical importance and many numbers of people around the globe do care.
Peace, yo.
"His illness has given us time to prepare ourselves," he said Thursday. "On the other hand, this is going it be a very, very significant papacy to follow.
"This man made the papacy bigger than life," he said. "He is a man who has been an international traveler involved in many relations with other faiths."
me
i thought the pope was a pretty cool guy. you guys sound like assholes trying to make it seem like no one has a right to be sad about his death just because they didnt know him
i thought the pope was a pretty cool guy. you guys sound like assholes trying to make it seem like no one has a right to be sad about his death just because they didnt know him
hmmm well i don't agree w/ the idea that just because we didnt know him we cant be sad... because he did do a lot and had very good intentions
i think im just more... not angry about it, but i don't know what, just the fact that why is HE closer to God than the rest of us. I'm Roman Catholic, but i've never understood that.
i thought the pope was a pretty cool guy. you guys sound like assholes trying to make it seem like no one has a right to be sad about his death just because they didnt know him
I don't know if you were referring at all to what I said, but I'm sorry if what I said came off as disrespectful. That wasn't my intention.
I'm not Catholic, but my mom was, and I've been to a lot of Catholic Masses. I've studied the religion in depth in college courses, as well as many other religions.
I guess I just have difficulty understanding what RejectedSponge mentioned. I've never been a fan of the hierarchical social structure in place.
Refer to the last sentence of shade's post:
"I don't know the statistics, but even if you don't feel that this Pope affected you directly, he and the papacy are of international and historical importance and many numbers of people around the globe do care."
Refer to the last sentence of shade's post:
"I don't know the statistics, but even if you don't feel that this Pope affected you directly, he and the papacy are of international and historical importance and many numbers of people around the globe do care."
oh hmmm
yeah
definitely interpreted that wrong
Refer to the last sentence of shade's post:
"I don't know the statistics, but even if you don't feel that this Pope affected you directly, he and the papacy are of international and historical importance and many numbers of people around the globe do care."
Sweetpea, you say that you don't understand hiearchy. But even in Heaven, there is hiearchy with the angels. The archangels are the highest, with St. Michael being the leader...
(.....ok, now I'm just waiting for those funny people to come out and start posting silly threads incorporating religious names and topics. d'oh, my brain is so fried right now that I can't for the life of me remember any of their names.)
Ok, I'll try to re-say what I meant, because it's obviously not coming out right. I guess I get the feeling from the structure of the Church (Pope, Cardinals, etc.) that there are all these people in between me and God. I know that's not the intention, and obviously not why it's set up that way, but I grew up believing that one could have a personal connection with God, and in my logic, these positions seem like intermediaries.
As for the angels, I don't really know much about that. I'm Lutheran, and we don't acknowledge the saints the same way that Catholics do. Point taken, though.
pfft. it doesnt matter anyway. besides...who said anyone was angry about his death?
that would be stupider than thinking no one should be sad about it!! you cant really get angry about it. it just happened.