I thought I heard on the radio yesterday repeatedly that the Pope was not to be photographed on his deathbed or after his death, according to the Vatican constitution or another document. The rule was supposedly made after pictures of a previous pope were taken after his death 40 years ago and sold to a tabloid or something like that, and Pope John Paul II came up with the new rule.
I saw him as a kid when he visited my country some 20 years ago. He was in his popemobile. Also, of all places, he lead mass at my little neighborhood church.
never fear, they'll be back on Monday...and no,I'm not a cynic. goes along with my theory, why can't news organizations approach everyday news like they do during christmas time. you know...look for the good in people.
to keep this On-topic, I didnt realize just how much the Pope had accomplished until they ran through his life yesterday. truly remarkable.
Correct. After the death of Pope John XXIII, there was a fiasco; the sitting physician for him took deathbed pictures and sold them to a French Tabloid for a profit.
This so struck the church as a heinous act that no pictures, etc. were allowed to be taken of the pope until after his passing, and then, only after he had been dressed in full pontiff burial garments.
This is largely due to the crass nature of the John XXIII pictures, which showed a man dying of cancer, sickly, in varying stages of clothing.
Not so much about protecting just the pope, but having sat with those who were dying, as had many, it came across as cruel.. I remember seeing my grandmother as she died; had pictures of her, sprawled out and deshelved been published and circulated as a way to remember her, I would have been horrified as well.
Me too. The point is the US media takes one story and runs it into the ground. With nothing on the plate now they've turned the deceased Pope into their latest fiasco including bogus experts and a live streaming cam of his body for 24h coverage.
Given that the Pope will lie in state for three days and that this sort of thing as been tradition for years, the mere idea of someone viewing the body was obviously not the problem. Chris has explained the origin of the rule and its purpose.
In the television age it is only to be expected that there will be video feeds of the lying-in-state. Some news organizations will cut to them from time to time, somee web sites may stream them continuously, and a Catholic cable channel like EWTN may cover the event 24/7. Makes perfect sense to me that the Vatican would make it as easy as possible for as many as possible around the world to "participate" in this event. It isn't like the U.S. news media were actually showing video of the dead or dying pope or even ignoring other stories. (It has been a slow news weekend, but other things are getting covered. Anyway, I don't think an "R.I.P." thread about the passing of a great man is the place to nitpick about news coverage - or to even mention a topic as conetentious as Terri Schiavo, any discussion of whom might as well be entitled, "Moderators, please close this thread now." )
I admire John Paul II not only because he was a dedicated shepherd for the Catholic church, but because as a fellow Pole, I'm very aware that Karol Wojtyla gave a national identity to the people of Poland. This may not seem very significant in this day and age, but back in 1978 Poland was just another country behind the Iron Curtain. Pope John Paul II made the world aware that Poland and the people of Poland were not just puppets of the U.S.S.R. God bless John Paul II.
My grandma, a faithful Catholic for 88 years, passed away a little over a month ago. Her faith helped to ease her passage into the next life without fear. I take great comfort in knowing that her and the Pope are together now. God bless them both and rest in peace.