The following is my ranking, from best to worst, of scenarios for the end of Pope John Paul II's pontificate.
- He is strong and active until the day he dies quietly in his sleep.
- He is bedridden, but he is in good spirits and able to conduct work until the day he dies in his sleep.
- either of the above, except he dies painfully.
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He becomes incapacitated and
- a letter written by him is used to specify how to proceed.
- there is no letter, but he is not replaced until his death.
- He resigns and is replaced.
- He does not resign and is forcefully replaced.
Funky Dung
Comments 2
Father Joe explained this to me once. The pope has a body of clergy around him much like a president or prime minister has a cabinet. If the pope become incapacitated, that body runs the Church business until he passes away. By custom they avoid making any major decisions until there is a new Pope.
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Posted 27 Feb 2005 at 2:18 am ¶I really wish I knew why I can't get ordered lists to show numbers in front of each element.
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Posted 27 Feb 2005 at 9:28 pm ¶Post a Comment