It's not quite your Weekend at Bernie's theory, but...
Rumours sweep Vatican of plot to hide Friday death
By Bruce Johnston and Jonathan Petre in Rome
THE politics of electing of the next pope moved into bizarre territory Monday with rumours sweeping Rome of a conservative plot to secure the papacy. In a conspiracy theory worthy of a Dan Brown novel, liberals suggested that Pope John Paul II had died a day earlier than was officially declared but the news was withheld to give the conservatives an advantage. According to the rumours, said to have come from sources in the Italian government and believed by senior cardinals, the Pope actually died on Friday.The theory goes that conservatives close to the Pope decided that if they had an extra day they could mobilise many more sympathetic Roman Catholics from around the world to converge on Rome for the Pope's funeral. The event would then become one of the biggest mass rallies in Catholic history and increase the momentum in favour of the Pope being elevated tos ainthood in record time. In this heady atmosphere, the speculation goes, the conservative plotters could then ensure the election of another doctrinally conservative figure inthe mould of John Paul II. The rumour may sound far fetched but the fact that it is circulating among -and is believed by - informed liberal Vatican-watchers was an indication of the febrile mood possessing Rome after the death of the most influential
"They managed all this in the Pope's last hours to mobilise the Polish people and the conservative and charismatic movements, like Opus Dei, Communion and Liberation and the Neo Catechuminates, for the purpose of creating a huge turnout for the funeral," said one distinguished academic." This will provide momentum for calls for the canonisation of the Pope andcreate the atmosphere that will help the conservatives secure thesuccession."Meanwhile, as the cardinals began to arrive in Rome, some of them hinted at the type of man they want to succeed John Paul II."Every Pope must be a conservative," said Cardinal Jorge Medina of Chile. Others called for a new version of John Paul II. Some want the developing world to produce a pope. Half of all Roman Catholics live in Latin America while Africa is the fastest-growing region.
"They managed all this in the Pope's last hours to mobilise the Polish people and the conservative and charismatic movements, like Opus Dei, Communion and Liberation and the Neo Catechuminates, for the purpose of creating a huge turnout for the funeral," said one distinguished academic." This will provide momentum for calls for the canonisation of the Pope andcreate the atmosphere that will help the conservatives secure thesuccession."Meanwhile, as the cardinals began to arrive in Rome, some of them hinted at the type of man they want to succeed John Paul II."Every Pope must be a conservative," said Cardinal Jorge Medina of Chile. Others called for a new version of John Paul II. Some want the developing world to produce a pope. Half of all Roman Catholics live in Latin America while Africa is the fastest-growing region.
The Daily Telegraph
6 comments:
dead for a day? more like dead for ages! see? i'm totally on to something....
ding! dong! the pope is dead!
which old pope?
the shaky pope!
ding! dong! the misogynist bastard is dead!
Paul that's hilarious! love it! love it! love it! Mine doesn't flow as well as yours and as you can see, I'm still bitter about not getting to be an altar server and, of course, the abortion/condom thing.
why couldn't you be an altar server? they have to be virgins?
They have to be boys, stupid!
If it was just a matter of virginity, I'd lie!
:)
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