Not to sound mean or anything, I respect the Pope, but his quaility of life has been steadily declining for some time. I think it's time for him to pass and enter God's embrace.
The Pope has really done some amazing stuff in his life. He was instrumental in the fall of the Communists in Poland and maybe by extension throughout the Soviet block. He has always stuck to his principals in condemning what he sees as excesses by both Communists and capitalists.
I have a lot of respect for John Paul.
I am not religious, but I visited The Holy See in the Fall of 2000 and was lucky enough to hear The Pope give a blessing to the assembled masses.
He gave a five minute long blessing in Latin.
Then in English.
Then in Polish.
Then in Russian.
Then in Italian.
Then in Spanish.
Then in Greek.
Then in French.
Then in German.
Then in Dutch.
Then in Swedish.
Then in Romanian.
Then in Chinese.
About then I left. I heard he gave his benediction in 14 languages.
Kind of an amazing guy. The world has been lucky to have him.
I'm not a Catholic, but this article seems to agree with Dean that it's not necessarily "one per person":
Anyone, regardless of age, can receive the sacrament if his or her health is seriously impaired. It can also be administered before surgery and, contrary to many people's belief, it can be received more than once if the original illness gets worse or if another serious sickness is diagnosed.
Perhaps there are differences of opinion among Catholics? It also points out the biblical basis for it:
"Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters [those who have authority] of the Church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven" (5:14-15).
Well, it's still 1 per person.
For the one passing, it's not so bad. Especially with large quantities of morphine.
In this case, the Pope is deeply loved by many close to him, and his own faith will help him along.
Maybe a prayer for the living would be in order...
I have a lot of respect for John Paul.
I am not religious, but I visited The Holy See in the Fall of 2000 and was lucky enough to hear The Pope give a blessing to the assembled masses.
He gave a five minute long blessing in Latin.
Then in English.
Then in Polish.
Then in Russian.
Then in Italian.
Then in Spanish.
Then in Greek.
Then in French.
Then in German.
Then in Dutch.
Then in Swedish.
Then in Romanian.
Then in Chinese.
About then I left. I heard he gave his benediction in 14 languages.
Kind of an amazing guy. The world has been lucky to have him.
Perhaps there are differences of opinion among Catholics? It also points out the biblical basis for it: