Pope Knocked Down by Woman at Christmas Mass

[Nevadamedic]

VATICAN CITY — A Vatican spokesman says a woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter's Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass.

The Rev. Ciro Benedettini said the pope quickly got up and was unhurt. Benedict, 82, calmly resumed his walk to the basilica's main altar and began the Mass late Thursday.

Benedettini said the woman who pushed the pope appeared to be mentally unstable and had been arrested by Vatican police. He said she also knocked down Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was taken to hospital for a check up.

Full Story...................
Pope Knocked Down by Woman at Christmas Mass - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

WHat kind of a Mickey Mouse operation does the Vatican Police and Swiss Guard run? That woman should never have cleared the barrier and once she did she should have been taken down immediately. She should never have gotten so close to the Pope or one of his Cardinal.

Personally this Pope isn't my favorite, no one will ever replace John Paul II, but I don't want to see anything happen to him. Maybe they could take some lessons from the Secret Service, since that's who they turn to when the Pope comes to the United States.

 

[Neotrotsky]

Glad he is OK

We know worse things can happen to the Pope

 

[WillowTree]

Well, she is going to hell. After she goes to prison!

 

[Modbert]

Well, she is going to hell. After she goes to prison!

Yes, because the mentally unstable who have no real choice in their decisions have a first class ticket to hell don't they?

 

[WillowTree]

Well, she is going to hell. After she goes to prison!

Yes, because the mentally unstable who have no real choice in their decisions have a first class ticket to hell don't they?

who says mentally unstable can't decide things?

 

[WillowTree]

VATICAN CITY — A Vatican spokesman says a woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter's Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass.

The Rev. Ciro Benedettini said the pope quickly got up and was unhurt. Benedict, 82, calmly resumed his walk to the basilica's main altar and began the Mass late Thursday.

Benedettini said the woman who pushed the pope appeared to be mentally unstable and had been arrested by Vatican police. He said she also knocked down Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was taken to hospital for a check up.

Full Story...................
Pope Knocked Down by Woman at Christmas Mass - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

WHat kind of a Mickey Mouse operation does the Vatican Police and Swiss Guard run? That woman should never have cleared the barrier and once she did she should have been taken down immediately. She should never have gotten so close to the Pope or one of his Cardinal.

Personally this Pope isn't my favorite, no one will ever replace John Paul II, but I don't want to see anything happen to him. Maybe they could take some lessons from the Secret Service, since that's who they turn to when the Pope comes to the United States.

I don't know about that. Remember Kennedy? Remember Reagan? Remember Ford?

 

[rdean]

Well, she is going to hell. After she goes to prison!

Yes, because the mentally unstable who have no real choice in their decisions have a first class ticket to hell don't they?

who says mentally unstable can't decide things?

Who says they can?

Definition of Mentally unstable:

Lacking control of one's emotions; marked by unpredictable behavior.

disposed to temperamental, emotional, or psychological variability

suffering from severe mental illness; "of unsound mind"

unpredictable

unstable - definition of unstable by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Please tell me you are a Republican.

 

[WillowTree]

Yes, because the mentally unstable who have no real choice in their decisions have a first class ticket to hell don't they?

who says mentally unstable can't decide things?

Who says they can?

Definition of Mentally unstable:

Lacking control of one's emotions; marked by unpredictable behavior.

disposed to temperamental, emotional, or psychological variability

suffering from severe mental illness; "of unsound mind"

unpredictable

unstable - definition of unstable by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Please tell me you are a Republican.

I am indeed a Republican. And i can read. And I can comprehend. The article says "she appeared mentally unstable." Not that she was! You jump to conclusions too quickly. And I would call Charles Manson mentally unstable too. But he decided lots of things. And, he is going to hell too.

 

[rdean]

who says mentally unstable can't decide things?

Who says they can?

Definition of Mentally unstable:

Lacking control of one's emotions; marked by unpredictable behavior.

disposed to temperamental, emotional, or psychological variability

suffering from severe mental illness; "of unsound mind"

unpredictable

unstable - definition of unstable by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Please tell me you are a Republican.

I am indeed a Republican. And i can read. And I can comprehend. The article says "she appeared mentally unstable." Not that she was! You jump to conclusions too quickly. And I would call Charles Manson mentally unstable too. But he decided lots of things. And, he is going to hell too.

Wasn't it you who said, "who says mentally unstable can't decide things? ". I was merely responding to that one statement.

And I believe that Charles Manson is evil, not unstable.

 

[bodecea]

VATICAN CITY — A Vatican spokesman says a woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter's Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass.

The Rev. Ciro Benedettini said the pope quickly got up and was unhurt. Benedict, 82, calmly resumed his walk to the basilica's main altar and began the Mass late Thursday.

Benedettini said the woman who pushed the pope appeared to be mentally unstable and had been arrested by Vatican police. He said she also knocked down Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was taken to hospital for a check up.

Full Story...................
Pope Knocked Down by Woman at Christmas Mass - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

WHat kind of a Mickey Mouse operation does the Vatican Police and Swiss Guard run? That woman should never have cleared the barrier and once she did she should have been taken down immediately. She should never have gotten so close to the Pope or one of his Cardinal.

Personally this Pope isn't my favorite, no one will ever replace John Paul II, but I don't want to see anything happen to him. Maybe they could take some lessons from the Secret Service, since that's who they turn to when the Pope comes to the United States.

Sad to see this happen, but you'd think a religious leader, in their own church would not need to be wrapped up like a coccoon.

 

[dilloduck]

Who says they can?

Definition of Mentally unstable:

Lacking control of one's emotions; marked by unpredictable behavior.

disposed to temperamental, emotional, or psychological variability

suffering from severe mental illness; "of unsound mind"

unpredictable

unstable - definition of unstable by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Please tell me you are a Republican.

I am indeed a Republican. And i can read. And I can comprehend. The article says "she appeared mentally unstable." Not that she was! You jump to conclusions too quickly. And I would call Charles Manson mentally unstable too. But he decided lots of things. And, he is going to hell too.

Wasn't it you who said, "who says mentally unstable can't decide things? ". I was merely responding to that one statement.

And I believe that Charles Manson is evil, not unstable.

Evil--like the devil is in him ?

 

[xotoxi]

Is she being held in the Vatican Federal Prison?

 

[dilloduck]

They shoulda poked her with their cool pikes !

 

[Tom Clancy]

Glad he is OK

We know worse things can happen to the Pope

Sarcastic much?

 

[Nevadamedic]

Is she being held in the Vatican Federal Prison?

No, any crime that happens in the Vatican City the Italian Government prosecutes and incarcerates the person.

With that being said I hope he go and forgives her like John Paul II did to the guy who attempted to kill him within a week of the attempt. That is one of the many reasons I respect that man.

 

[Nevadamedic]

They shoulda poked her with their cool pikes !

The Swiss Guard doesn't provide the protection detail, that is the Vatican Police. Thhey look and dress identical to our US Secret Service Agents.

 

[Nevadamedic]

In my honest opinion there have been way to many close calls with this Pope. It apprears that this SAME lady did the same thing last year, wearing the same sweatshirt, then in Germany some guy was able to get right up on the Popemobile.

They are taking way to many chances with this man.

 

[Nevadamedic]

VATICAN CITY — A woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter's Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass on Thursday.

The 82-year-old pope quickly got up and was unhurt, said a Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini.

Footage aired on Italy's RAI state TV showed a woman dressed in a red, hooded sweat shirt vaulting over the wooden barriers and rushing toward the pope before being swarmed by bodyguards.

Video shot by a witness showed the woman grabbing the pope's vestments as she was taken down, with Benedict seemingly falling on top of her.

The commotion occurred as the pope's procession was making its way toward the main altar and shocked gasps rang out through the public that packed the basilica. The procession came to a halt and security rushed to the trouble spot.

Benedettini said the woman who pushed the pope appeared to be mentally unstable and had been arrested by Vatican police. He said she also knocked down Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was taken to hospital for a check up.

"During the procession an unstable person jumped a barrier and knocked down the Holy Father," Benedettini told The Associated Press by telephone. "(The pope) quickly got up and continued the procession."

MaryBeth Burns from Paris, Texas, was about four people away from the woman who jumped the barriers and was filming the pope's procession as the commotion started.

"I'm really mad because I had a perfect shot lined up," she said. "I'm still shaking."

Burns, who was visiting Italy with her family on a religious pilgrimage for Christmas, said the security guards immediately pulled the woman to the ground and the pope tumbled with them.

Benedict lost his miter and his staff in the fall. He remained on the ground for a few seconds before being helped back up by attendants. At that point a few shouts of "viva il papa!" (long live the pope!) rang out, followed by cheers from the faithful, witnesses said.

After getting up, Benedict, flanked by tense bodyguards, resumed his walk to the basilica's main altar to start the Mass. He did appear somewhat shaken and leaned heavily on aides and an armrest as he sat down in his chair.

Few people who were watching the Mass on giant screens set up in a rain-soaked St. Peter's Square even knew that the pope had fallen, with many saying that either they weren't looking or had arrived too late.

Benedict made no reference to the incident as the service started. As a choir sang, he sprinkled incense on the altar before opening the Mass with the traditional wish for peace in Latin.

It was the second year in a row there was a security breach at the service. At the end of last year's Mass a woman who had jumped the barriers got close to the pope but was quickly blocked on the ground by security.

That woman too had a red sweat shirt, but Benedettini said it was not immediately known if the same person was behind Thursday's incident.

The latest incident was the first time a potential attacker came into direct contact with Benedict, and underscored concerns by security analysts who have frequently warned the pope is too exposed in his public appearances.

There have been other security breaches at the Vatican.

In 2007, during an open-air audience in St. Peter's Square, a mentally unstable German man jumped a security barrier and grabbed the back of the pope's open car before being swarmed by security guards.

Then there was the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca in 1981. John Paul suffered a severe abdominal wound as he rode in an open jeep at the start of his weekly audience in the Vatican piazza.

The pope is protected by a combination of Swiss Guards, Vatican police and Italian police.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S., the Vatican has tightened security at events where the pope is present. All visitors must pass by police to get into the square, with some going through metal detectors or being scanned by metal-detecting wands.

In a similar incident to Thursday's, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was attacked as he was greeting the crowd at a political rally earlier this month. A man with a history of psychological problems hurled a souvenir statuette at the politician, fracturing his nose and breaking two of his teeth.

Benedict celebrated this year's Christmas Eve Mass two hours earlier than the usual midnight starting time in a move by the Vatican to ease the pontiff's busy holiday schedule.

In his homily, delivered unflappably after the incident, Benedict urged the world to "wake up" from selfishness and petty affairs, and find time for God and spiritual matters.

"To wake up means to leave that private world of one's own and to enter the common reality," Benedict said. "Conflict and lack of reconciliation in the world stem from the fact that we are locked into our own interests and opinions, into our own little private world."

Benedict's next scheduled appearance is at noon on Christmas Day, when he is to deliver his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" speech (Latin for "To the city and the world") from the basilica's balcony.

Full Article...................
Pope Knocked Down by Woman at Christmas Mass - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

 

[K9Buck]

Sad to see this happen, but you'd think a religious leader, in their own church would not need to be wrapped up like a coccoon.

Why would we NOT think that? The pope is a target for many, unlike the overwhelming majority of "religious leaders". I recall the Soviets attempt to kill Pople John Paul II. Dictators and terrorists aside, there are also mentally ill people (as evidenced here) who might decide to hurt/kill the pope. This and future popes will need tight security for many years to come.

 

[JenyEliza]

VATICAN CITY — A Vatican spokesman says a woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter's Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass.

The Rev. Ciro Benedettini said the pope quickly got up and was unhurt. Benedict, 82, calmly resumed his walk to the basilica's main altar and began the Mass late Thursday.

Benedettini said the woman who pushed the pope appeared to be mentally unstable and had been arrested by Vatican police. He said she also knocked down Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was taken to hospital for a check up.

Full Story...................
Pope Knocked Down by Woman at Christmas Mass - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

WHat kind of a Mickey Mouse operation does the Vatican Police and Swiss Guard run? That woman should never have cleared the barrier and once she did she should have been taken down immediately. She should never have gotten so close to the Pope or one of his Cardinal.

Personally this Pope isn't my favorite, no one will ever replace John Paul II, but I don't want to see anything happen to him. Maybe they could take some lessons from the Secret Service, since that's who they turn to when the Pope comes to the United States.

I don't know about that. Remember Kennedy? Remember Reagan? Remember Ford?

Remember the shits that just crashed the white house?