Wednesday, February 02, 2005
THE POPE IS ILL
From SFGate.com:
Pope John Paul II had a restful night and his condition stabilized after he was rushed to a hospital with breathing trouble, but he will spend several more days at the clinic to recover from the flu, the Vatican said Wednesday.
Around the world, Roman Catholics paused to pray for the health of the 84-year-old pontiff.
Tests showed John Paul's heart and respiration were normal, and he got several hours' rest after being taken by ambulance to the hospital Tuesday night, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said. The pontiff was running a slight fever from the flu and would spend "a few more days" at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic for treatment of respiratory problems, he said.
"There is no cause for alarm," Navarro-Valls said.
According to 4NI from the UK:
The Pope, who had been suffering from flu, was rushed to hospital by ambulance, suffering from a laryngeal-spasm – a condition that can block the passage of air to the lungs, making it almost impossible to breath.
Prayers for the Pope are being said around Europe and the US. Grampian TV reports:
Saying special prayers for Pope John Paul the second. The congregation at St Mary's Cathedral in Aberdeen joined millions of Catholics around the world hoping for his recovery.
The Conservative voice reports that
Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, called for prayers for Pope John Paul II, on Feb. 1, shortly after the pope was hospitalized in Rome with breathing difficulties and the flu.
From MSNBC:
WADOWICE, Poland - People in Pope John Paul II’s Polish hometown prayed Wednesday for their most famous son as coverage of his hospitalization dominated front pages and airwaves.
With the intense media focus, prayers for the pontiff’s recovery were held at churches in Warsaw, Krakow and at the private chapel of Poland’s Roman Catholic primate, Cardinal Jozef Glemp.
Meanwhile, the inevitable speculation about the next Pope is not far from the minds of the pressmen. From ABS-CBN Interactive:
Each time the Pope's health has faltered, speculation has bubbled up over his possible successor, including whether he would be from the Third World, where the Church is expanding.
John Paul, the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years, has appointed nearly all the cardinals who will enter a conclave to elect his successor, thus stacking the odds that the next Pope will not tamper with controversial church teachings.
From stuff.co.nz:
Can anyone succeed such a towering figure without appearing a mere shadow of Karol Wojtyla, a mouse after a mountain?
That is the dilemma that cardinals, the red-hated "princes" of the Roman Catholic Church will face when they meet in a secret conclave after the death of the current Pope - whenever it may be - to choose a successor from among themselves.
May God relieve his suffering.
