as if you want any more news reports from me today

[kellinator]

From CNN.com:

Pope John Paul II has been given the last rites of the Roman Catholic Church as his health deteriorates, a Vatican source tells CNN.

Comments

[missrachael.livejournal.com]

Do they still do that thing with the smoke signals when they choose a new pope?

Also, say what you will about John Paul Deux, the man is a trooper. I would have thrown in the towel ten years ago.

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

Reading through the list of his health problems, it is pretty astonishing that he's made it this long -- especially with all his duties and the constant public scrutiny.

To be honest, and I feel tacky saying this, but I'm rather curious about the rituals that go into this. I read this detail (from http://www.ucg.org/wnp/wnp0409/manpope.htm) recently and found it oddly fascinating:

Every pope has the equivalent of a chief of staff, called the camerlengo. When a pope dies, the camerlengo must first certify that he is indeed dead. The ritual tradition is to strike him on the forehead with a silver hammer, calling his baptismal name three times. An alternative is to place a cloth over his mouth. If he does not respond, the camerlengo declares him dead, authorizes a death certificate and then seals the papal living and working apartments.

Later, the silver hammer will be used to scratch and break the papal ring and seal, so no documents can be forged in his name.

[stevietee.livejournal.com]

Yes, the smoke signals are still in effect -- when the cardinals are voting on a new Pope, they send up white smoke when a vote has been successful and a new Pope has been chosen (grey smoke for votes that don't pass muster).

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

That website's also got some details on the smoke. I don't really know anything about that group, just grabbed the site off a Google search, and I'm not so sure about some of their prophecy interpretations, but the factual details seem quite accurate.