Pope John Paul II's body exhumed ahead of beatification - Polidicks

[quote=MSNBC] VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II's coffin was exhumed on Friday ahead of his beatification as tens of thousands of people began arriving in Rome for one of the biggest events since his funeral in 2005. The Vatican said the coffin was removed from the crypts below St. Peter's Basilica while top Vatican officials and some of the late pope's closest aides looked on and prayed. Those present at the ceremony included Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, his personal secretary and right-hand man for decades, and the Polish nuns who ran the papal household for 27 years. The wooden coffin will be placed in front of the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica. After Sunday's beatification mass, it will remain in that spot and the basilica will remain open until all visitors who want to view it have done so. It will then be moved to a new crypt under an altar in a side chapel near Michelangelo's statue of the Pieta. The marble slab that covered his first burial place will be sent to Poland. The pope is being beatified on the day the church celebrates the movable Feast of Divine Mercy, which this year happens to fall on May 1, the most important feast in the communist world. The coincidence is ironic, given that many believe the pope played a key role in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. Rome festooned with balloons As the Vatican prepares to move the late pontiff one step closer to sainthood this Sunday, Rome has been caught up with beatification fever. The city is festooned with posters of the pope on buses and hanging from lamp posts as the city where he was bishop for 27 years awaits one of the largest crowds since his funeral in 2005, when millions came to pay tribute. Large television towers are being erected along Via Della Conciliazione, the boulevard leading from the Tiber to the Vatican. At least several hundred thousand people are expected at the mass in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, when John Paul's successor Pope Benedict XVI will pronounce a Latin formula declaring one of the most popular popes in history a "blessed" of the Church. At least 16 heads of state and 87 official delegations from around the world will attend the beatification, the last step before sainthood in the Roman Catholic. A 'miracle' cure The Vatican has deemed that the otherwise inexplicable cure of a French nun, Marie Simon-Pierre Normand, who was suffering from Parkinson's disease, was due to John Paul's intercession with God to perform a miracle, thus permitting the beatification to go ahead. Another miracle will have to be attributed to John Paul's intercession after the beatification in order for him to be declared a saint. Beatification-related activities begin on Saturday night in Rome's Circus Maximus, the sprawling oval used by the ancient Romans for chariot races. An all-night prayer vigil will be held in the oval, during which Normand, Dziwisz and Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the pope's long-time spokesman, will describe their experiences with him. John Paul's beatification has set a new speed record for modern times, taking place six years and one month after his death on April 2, 2005. Poles joyful Across Poland — a heavily Roman Catholic country — the faithful are voicing joy and pride as the ceremony draws closer. Many pilgrims are boarding buses and trains for the roughly 30-hour journey to Rome, while many more are expected to fill squares in Warsaw, Krakow and his hometown of Wadowice to follow it on large video screens. The atmosphere of celebration contrasts sharply with the deep sense of mourning after John Paul died in 2005. At the time, black ribbons and packed churches were expressions of the widespread grief felt at the country's loss of its most respected moral authority and a figure credited with helping end communism. "For us, in fact, the Holy Father was already a saint during his lifetime, and after his death even more," said Ewa Filipiak, the mayor of Wadowice, the small town in southern Poland where Karol Wojtyla, the future pope, was born. Warsaw Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz this week called the beatification a historic moment and predicted that the late pontiff will go down in history as "Pope John Paul II the Great." Minority voices opposition While the overwhelming number of Catholics welcome it, a minority are opposed, with some saying it happened too fast. Liberals in the church say John Paul was too harsh with theological dissenters who wanted to help the poor, particularly in Latin America. Some say John Paul should be held ultimately responsible for the sexual abuse scandals because they occurred or came to light when he was in charge. Ultra-Conservatives say he was too open towards other religions and that he allowed the liturgy to be "infected" by local cultures, such as African dancing, on his trips abroad. [/quote] Source: [url]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42819424/ns/world_news/[/url]

Not to be rude or anthing, but what did he do to deserve this? "Healed" a nun? That's it?

I thought exhuming the Pope was against Vatican law?

[QUOTE=ZuXer;29524219]Not to be rude or anthing, but what did he do to deserve this? "Healed" a nun? That's it?[/QUOTE] He was pope and led a couple million billion fools.

[QUOTE=Spycrabz;29524235]I thought exhuming the Pope was against Vatican law?[/QUOTE]Nah, it's standard procedure for beatification.

So, wait, he gets this just because he was a pope? Man, I thought that only pepole who did a lot to the world got this.

[QUOTE=ZuXer;29524288]So, wait, he gets this just because he was a pope? Man, I thought that only pepole who did a lot to the world got this.[/QUOTE] How does being pope and having millions hinged 'pon your word NOT do a lot to the world?

[QUOTE=Lebowski;29524304]How does being pope and having millions hinged 'pon your word NOT do a lot to the world?[/QUOTE] You didn't understand what I was trying to say. But never mind, looked up what the guy did, and he was a rather good guy, he deserves it.

Man, The Vatican has all the fun.

[QUOTE=Lebowski;29524245]He was pope and led a couple million billion fools.[/QUOTE] Hey Shutup! Without him, Poland wouldn't have had the hope to free itself from communism. I'm not that religious myself but I honor him.

[QUOTE=marcin1337;29524605]Without him, Poland wouldn't have had the hope to free itself from communism.[/QUOTE] Not only Poland, but entire eastern Europe.

[QUOTE=marcin1337;29524605]Hey Shutup! Without him, Poland wouldn't have had the hope to free itself from communism. I'm not that religious myself but I honor him.[/QUOTE] I don't give two tugs on a dead dog's dick about Poland of all places, especially due to the Polack involvement during the systematic killing of my people. nor will i drive a german car on principle [highlight](User was banned for this post ("PUI/Trolling" - JohnnyMo1))[/highlight]

^ Yeah that's those sort of ethno-nationalistic grudges that start bloody European wars.

I'm pretty much the antithesis of a religious person, but John Paul II was a cool guy :colbert:

John Paul II was a great pope, a someone to respect even if you are a atheist (I'm agnostic, for the record). He almost unified muslims and christians, made relationships better with all other religions as well. He also made it quicker for Soviet walls to fall.

-snip-

[QUOTE=Lebowski;29525122]I don't give two tugs on a dead dog's dick about Poland of all places, especially due to the Polack involvement during the systematic killing of my people. nor will i drive a german car on principle[/QUOTE] So not only are you anti religious you're also a massive racist, this just keeps getting better.

[QUOTE=Lebowski;29525122]I don't give two tugs on a dead dog's dick about Poland of all places, especially due to the Polack involvement during the systematic killing of my people. nor will i drive a german car on principle[/QUOTE] Congrats, I think this might be a world record for qualifying for godwins law. Now, I suppose you can't go anywhere in western europe considering in every country there were some supporters of the holocaust. (Even though Poland had the strongest resistance movement and actively tried to liberate several concentration camps during its lifetime...) But no really, go on hating the descendants of a minority of bad people in one country, who did their evil 66+years ago and most of whom are already dead. I suppose you're entitled to it?

[QUOTE=ZuXer;29524219]Not to be rude or anthing, but what did he do to deserve this? "Healed" a nun? That's it?[/QUOTE] I believe you have to perform a "miracle" to be a Saint.

[QUOTE=Lebowski;29525122]I don't give two tugs on a dead dog's dick about Poland of all places, especially due to the Polack involvement during the systematic killing of my people. nor will i drive a german car on principle[/QUOTE] you won't drive a german car because you're 10

John Paul II was a pretty cool guy, believed in evolution and helped bring down the Berlin wall.

John Paul II was really nice, and much better than Benedict XVI

His other miracle should be rising from the dead and throwing Benedict in that coffin.

[QUOTE=Lebowski;29525122]I don't give two tugs on a dead dog's dick about Poland of all places, especially due to the Polack involvement during the systematic killing of my people. nor will i drive a german car on principle[/QUOTE] You're a fucking idiot. Just saying.

John Paul was a real good as the pope, He was open to ideas and went around the world in car with a bullet proof jar on the back of it. (most of the popes before him rarely, if ever left the Vatican) Shame they have a creepy old guy who looks like hes going to convert me to the dark side rather then preach God's word.

fuck him the vatican must die

[QUOTE=Whomobile;29528048]John Paul was a real good as the pope, He was open to ideas and went around the world in car with a bullet proof jar on the back of it. (most of the popes before him rarely, if ever left the Vatican) Shame they have a creepy old guy who looks like hes going to convert me to the dark side rather then preach God's word.[/QUOTE] Darth Benedict sounds pretty awesome

He did an incredible amount of good things for the world. He actually got the Philippnies' former president Ferdinand Marcos to step down because of his massive authoritarian corruption he caused in the country

[QUOTE=Lebowski;29525122]I don't give two tugs on a dead dog's dick about Poland of all places, especially due to the Polack involvement during the systematic killing of my people. nor will i drive a german car on principle[/QUOTE] are you a troll by birth or choice

[QUOTE=Devfrost;29528774]He did an incredible amount of good things for the world. He actually got the Philippnies' former president Ferdinand Marcos to step down because of his massive authoritarian corruption he caused in the country[/QUOTE] Screw you man, that was all Ninoy.