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Cesar Manso / AFP - Getty Images
Pope Benedict XVI is protected by several white umbrellas because of strong winds and rain while leading a prayer vigil on a vast dusty esplanade outside Madrid during the World Youth Day (WYD) festivities on Aug. 20.
David Ramos / Getty Images
Lightning illuminates the sky as a storm occurs the during a Vigil as part of the World Youth Day 2011 on Aug. 20, in Madrid, Spain. Initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985, World Youth Day, which includes youth-oriented events for the celebration of the Catholic faith, is held every three years in a different country; this time in Madrid from Aug. 16 - 21.
Javier Soriano / AFP - Getty Images
Bishops react as the Pope arrives on a vast dusty esplanade outside Madrid prior to a prayer vigil led by Pope Benedict XVI during the World Youth Day (WYD) festivities on Aug. 20.
J.J. Guillen / EPA
An aerial view of a fire engine on the Cuatro Vientos aerodrome spraying water to cool some of the thousands of pilgrims from all over the world waiting for the vigil that Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate with the participants of the 26th World Youth Day festival, in Madrid, Aug. 20. The pontiff arrived on in Madrid on Aug. 18 to chair the Catholic World Youth Day festival, which is expected to gather more than one million pilgrims from Aug. 16 - 21.
Pedro Armestre / AFP - Getty Images
Some of hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims react as water is poured to refresh them as they gather in blistering heat on a vast dusty esplanade outside Madrid to hear a prayer vigil led by Pope Benedict XVI during the World Youth Day (WYD) festivities on Aug. 20. Emergency services said they had attended to more than 150 people by early afternoon, mostly for fainting and heatstroke as temperatures soared to 39 C (102 F) in the Cuatro Vientos (Four Winds) air base. The pope will hold a "Prayer Vigil" in the evening at an airbase southwest of the capital, where the pilgrims will spend the night under the stars on an esplanade the size of 48 football fields.
Andres Kudacki / AP
A pilgrim waits for Pope Benedict XVI's arrival at Cuatro Vientos airport in Madrid, Aug. 20. The Pontiff arrived in Spain for a four-day visit including the Catholic Church's World Youth Day.
AP reports:
A freak thunderstorm on Saturday forced Pope Benedict XVI to cut short his speech to an estimated million young pilgrims gathered for the church's world youth festival, giving the outdoor prayer vigil at a Madrid airfield a dramatic climax.
During the day, firefighters atop fire trucks had sprayed the crowds with water from hoses, and pilgrims sought shade from umbrellas, trees, tarps and tents in a bid to stave off the near 40-degree Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) heat. As night fell, a flash downpour drenched the crowd: with lightening lighting up the night sky, the 84-year-old Benedict was forced to skip the bulk of his speech and merely deliver brief greetings in a half-dozen languages.
Read more here.
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Mother Nature defeats the Invisible Being !!
.
Thunder. Lightening. Pope is silenced to but a few words.
God is displeased with the appearance of so many unpunished pedophiles in expensive white-purple garbs.
Gov. Perry prays for rain in Texas and the state is in such a drought that cows are farting dust. Now the pope gets rained out (with thunder) is there a message here?
The extremely sad and unfortunately part is... The Pope and his sheep probably think that their god was showing disappointment for those who're getting "amnesia" about Him.
I would say that, after all the time and energy the pope's spent on chastising Spain for its open support for gay marriage, it took "an act of god" to shut him up!!
Again?
Methinks God doesn't like the way the Pope/Catholic Church has dealt with child molesters.
God to Pope: FU
Hahahaahaha
Mother Nature - 1
Mystical Sky Zombie - 0
They do look fancy in those robes. I wonder how many Africans they could feed with the money used to buy them.
Why should the followers of the mythical sky zombie have to worry about feeding people in Africa? Couldn't your equally absurd personification of the forces of nature take care of that?
God knew the Pope was there, and She was not happy about it.
@Jennifer Armintrout I think you miss the key point. I do not pray to nor assert that such personification is indeed real and more importantly able to be swayed by your deeds or misdeeds on this planet. Nor are there any multi-billion dollar industries tied to such a belief.
As far as care for feeding those in africa, you are right. They do not need to care nor do they. It is hard to argue however that you contend to uphold a doctrine of superior moral laws and yet the money you take in is spent on yourself.
Our parish just sent a huge donation to Africa to dig a well for a poor village. This is the second year we have done this. I don't know what you are talking about. The parishioners of the Catholic Church send huge amounts of money to poor countries from our second collections! Rain is a natural phenomenon and has nothing to do with superstition of God being angry! I love watching the joy of the young people at World Youth Day and they are the future of our church!
Mother Nature is the invisible being. Mother Nature and God are the same.
carol,
what is wrong with sending shovels?
I think the Heavenly Father saw how hot & miserable they were & sent the much needed rain to help cool down the crowd. The Pope will be able to continue his message of love & mercy...
Holy Moses..bless you all..I'm outta here!
De Pope of Neil Bush and how he became the pope : 1997 ? or there abouts , the 2 met with another wealthy person,whose parents have large real estate holdings in US a ? they formed some kind of religious cult :as you all know what neil's religion is all about ,? him and has many Girls he can handle.. Bush 41 sends Michael Novak ,AEI Katholic pilosefer to convince John Paul 2 that war in Iraq is Justified .. Sometime after poor John Paul is a goner ;and here comes ratzinger for pope . No Kidding ,Impossible ,must have been a movie ?
Bless their hearts; hope everyone is ok there.
Now that they are no longer being inundated with messages of false hope and fairy tales, I am sure they will be.
I think it was God sending him a message to "Cut the Crap"
Ed, I think you're right!
Strange...I thought it was nothing more than an atmospheric disturbance created by the clashing of warm and cool air masses which condenses water vapor into water droplets that eventually become heavy enough to fall and is called rain. I don't believe there is anything "supernatural" going on here.
See now how the sheep do stray from the sheppard? How long shall God endure such dissent? Even now as His signs are revealed, even still do you disbelieve. Do you not know that the bowl turneth over? Do you not feel how his presence comforts? He would send you warning, saying prepare, yet you heed not this warning! Woe unto the inhabitants of the Earth, for soon you shall see that which you scoff revealed to be true! Soon you shall see islands swallowed by the sea and the city founded on sin consumed by light! Soon you shall see the Man of Sin revealed. Will you then say, God please have mercy on me! But I tell you now, there shall be no mercy when his protection is removed. Those who live in sin shall die in sin, and those who are righteous shall see their redeemer; but for the lukewarm, nothing. Pray that you are not among the lukewarm and disbelievers on that day when the King Unknown is revealed! Father, I ask that you would guide these your children that their eyes should be opened and their hearts filled with your love! I ask that you would send them blessings and sustain them for yet a time, that they may have this one last chance to be redeemed. This I ask in Jesus' name, Amen.
God Bless you Pope Benedict and mayChrist walking beside you and the Blessed Mother protect you with her mantle! Let's all pray for the Non-Believers who are so full of hate in their comments. Jesus will be here shortly to show you love!
Forgive them Father. They know not what they do.
I do! I know what I do! That's why I do do! I do it everyday.
Heh, you said do do.
I do that everyday too. Sometimes twice! Does that need to be forgiven?
Forgiven by whom? The invisible spaghetti monster? I don't really think that's necessary.
Good cause it's one of my fav. pass time activities! Oh and being blessed by his noodly appendage. Whew almost blasphemy against the one true and mighty is zesty at times as well!
I thought the same thing, Ed..lol.
I think the Powers that Be might be a little pissed off - the Pope still won't prosecute the pedophiles. Where the hell is Pat Robertson when ya need him - never mind - he'd blame it on the "gays".
See my reply above regarding an act of god shutting him up on Spain's very pro-gay laws...
Just more proof that fantasy crumbles in the face of reality.
Lightning storms during the pope's visit?
Could it be that 'god' no longer loves the catholic church? lol
Well two concerts got the they treatment from the weather called climatic change !
I love the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit! I love the Holy Catholic Church! I love fellow Christians! I love all of the human family created in God's image, even the ones that are enemies of the Church. I pray for the spread of Jesus's Gospel. I hope in the Lord!
STFU...
Good for you, Matt.
I love proper grammer.
Gee, you love just about everyone! What about Satan... Wasn't he created in God's image, too? Does your love also extend to him? Just curious.
@Matt,
The Father... sure... 'Cause there's obviously some reason why we exist. The Son? Sorry, I don't believe in demigods. The Holy Spirit? Now that's just kinda weird if you ask me. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? Isn't that quasi-polytheistic, especially for a so-called monotheistic religion? The Holy Catholic Church? I can't understand how it's okay to pray to Mary, a human, to watch over us and to deliver our message to the Father. Christianity? Yeah, ummm... that's a man made religion, that goes right along with the man made (i.e. fallible) Bible.
At least you have enough common sense to say that you love your enemies... Even though I'm certain you don't actively practice it.
BTW, @Stonegarden,
If you're going to be a Grammar Nazi, at least try to spell correctly.
@Rusty,
You have a point. Christians must reluctantly love Satan under such a rule. But he wasn't created in God's image, he was created in Man's image... just like God was.
Thank -you! Matt, God bless you!
If Jews are the chosen people, yet they don't believe Jesus is the son of God, do Jews get a "Get out of Hell free" card?
stfu
O My Jesus, Forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who have most need of thy mercy.
Amen.
Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for us.
@Nathan,
Because you're so over the top, I can't tell if you're being serious or sarcastic.
Gov. Perry prays for rain in Texas and now the state is in such a drought that cows are farting dust. Now the Pope gets rined out (with thunder); is there a message here?
come on now... take a hint, I mean a sign from above!!!! god is not pleased...
hehehehehe
Pope Benedict must not be pleasing Thor and the other Gods of the sky. A human sacrifice seems in order.
Just don't sacrifice young people to pedophiles. A bunch of demented, hypocitical nut-bags.
They're not fit to preach anything to anyone.
thank you SAM ,but i does believe we have sacrificed the young ones already ' bush41bush43obamaperry.edu/1992/2001/2011.html
leave every child 's behind behind ,and thou shall go forth ot fifth . or be the Forty Turd pResident
Some of those pilgrims look like they are out a Woodstock concert. You think they fired up the insence burner?
Pope Benedict must not be pleasing Thor and the other gods of the sky. Maybe a human sacrifice is in order. This is what the Bible says you should do when you displease Yahweh. Or, maybe people should just give up on believing this bull@!$%# and start thinking rationally.
Wrong guy in the wrong chair - find another John Paul II (a bit younger next time, so the pope can positively affect the world).
I want the conservatives to say that it's because big daddy and JC don't like the pope... but I know they won't...
Most US conservatives hate Catholics.
Good one. Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Visit to Spain is a time for great joy for the Spanish Church and good for businesses in Spain. I attended His Holiness' Mass at Yankee Stadium back in 2008, and you get a feeling of sheer joy, of awe just being near Christ's representative on Earth. As to the political side, Catholics are not hated by conservatives. Catholics and I mean real Catholics, not ones that go to Mass on Christmas and Easter, I mean people who try their hardest to get to Mass each Sunday and plan their weekends around Church, not vice versa. Catholics lean liberal fiscally (albeit asking that Government live within its means) and lean conservative socially. They advocate for money spent on the poor and the wealthy to pay more to help those most in need, and pray that people will see the evil that is Abortion and the ignorance of Natural Law that is Gay Marriage. Someone in a prior post commented about the Blessed Trinity, and while I would like to give an answer that fully explains the Trinity, I can't. St. Thomas Aquinas, A Doctor of the Church (meaning he contributed significantly in his writings defending Church dogmas and Doctrines) said that the Trinity can never fully be explained because contrary to what man thinks, some things can not be fully comprehended. Nevertheless, the Trinity is 3 individual persons in One God. It makes sense but at the same time, it doesn't make sense. That's the awe and wonder and majesty of the Trinity.
Dear MR.Hughes :you and Alex the Beam of the boston globe should get together some day and read the news from the Middle East ,Africa ,etc . Remember in the old days ,40s and 50s ,and we had to bring a dime to church for the poor and starving children of Foreign Countries ;;l The Pope could sell all his Gold ,and treasures and feed the world by himself .. BUT NO , the pope aint about ready to do that .. He and the bushes are hoarding Gold and other precious metals , Did you see what he was wearing and what that cost ?NOT a SIN ? a total F Disgrace to Jesus Christ .. Katholic and NOT Proud .. take me to the wood shed and start reading James Carroll
First the pope does not own the valued items you notice. These are gifts of the people for his use, but not for his to liquidate. No different than a state owned art gallery should not liquidate its artwork to satisfy individual needs of the citizenry.
Second, an example of understanding the Trinity would be akin to H20. In the liquid state it is called water, in the heated state it is called steam and in the frozen state it is called ice. And yet, it remains H2O. Unfortunately man cannot completely understand all things within the supernatural realm.
Third, those shouting loudest for church punishment on pedophiles seem to be silent when others in a society are guilty of same, i.e., teachers, ministers, social program directors, family, etc. Yea who is without sin, cast the first stone.
Love people who spew that argument, because its not a great point at all. The gold and precious items that the Vatican has are SACRED and Historical. Sacred vessels, many of which are made of precious metals, should not be sold. They are indicative of the Church's attempt to offer the purest sacrifice before God, as in we must give God the best we can offer. The same goes for any other religion, it just so happens the Holy See has the largest collection of Sacred items.
One other note Joseph, I don't read heretics. I read the Truth. Mr.Carroll has made outlandish comments about the destruction of the priesthood if it doesn't ordain women. You know what, he couldn't be more wrong. Because of the Ordination of women in Protestant Churches, more Anglican Churches are coming into full communion with Catholic Church. Its happened it Baltimore and several Churches in England, and those are just a few you hear about. Mr. Carroll is Catholic in name, and while he can't be a judge as to his participation in the Eucharist, his opinions are outlandish. He has a right to his opinion, he should not, however, spew it to people who may actually listen, because the only people who will listen are those who are already a little lost from the flock.
God's voice is in the thunder and His Majesty is in the lightening....We
should be listening for His Word, instead of trumpeting our indignations....
Water is cleansing.....this world needs it....
God is mad and the Pope needs to get down on his knees in front of jesus and let jesus shed his glorious light all over his face
God is clearly demonstrating that He is still in control and that anti-christ can advance no further than He permits. Years a go when John Paul visited the United States, he was about to pray at a large stadium, and had just uttered the words, "our father" when a loud peal of thunder interrupted. Then on the same trip, two large, high towers in honor of John Paul were suddenly toppled to the ground by a powerful gust of wind. Revelation 13 in being fulfilled before our eyes. Protestants have apostatized in this ecumenical movement by surrendering their protestantism. They are working in blindness. They do not see that if a Protestant government sacrifices the principles that have made them a free, independent nation, and through legislation brings into the Constitution, principles that will propagate papal falsehood and papal delusion, they are plunging into the Roman horrors of the Dark Ages.
Yeah, that's the key problem with christianity. You idiots can't even unite under one banner to fight all of us 'evil atheists' because you're too busy bickering amongst yourselves about who's right about what.
religion should'nt bother/scare you in the least if you really don't believe in it. for those who like to talk about how many wars religion is responsible for, no, mans idiocy is to blame for all of them.worshiping a higher power had a place in the evolution of our species.it gave us a way to try and make sense of things that we did not understand at the time.now that science is taking over that role,you have the so called atheists/agnostics,etc. who like to persecute those who still choose to believe,and call them mindless among otherthings,if they don't believe in their way of thinking(sound familiar?).the scientific facts,and those that believe in them, of today will be looked down upon in the future,just like many look down on the worshipping of God now.
when science begins to become a religion unto itself(don't fool youself,science is a belief))what will you say to those that then persecute you when your beliefs are proven wrong?when things that are hard proven facts to us today are regarded as fantasy when a more proven explanation is discovered?
just saying that those blasting people for their beliefs in such a mean way,are no better than those who persecuted people in the past for not believing in God.if you really believe in science,and evolution(i do),prove that by trying to act like someone who is striving to evolve as a person/species by not putting people down to make yourself look right.if all you can do is try to make people feel stupid to prove yourself right,then all your doing is proving that there is no such thing as evolution to begin with.
@ xnato - I agree with you 100% as far as all of the bashing that goes on. It is absolutely ridiculous the things that are said in these postings. I have gotten in the middle of these back and forths and nothing ever comes of them besides Bible bashing and science bashing. I would like to point out, please without any offense in any way, that I do not believe science is in any way bad. I have had many science courses through HS and college and enjoyed them and what science has done for the world. However, there are areas that do not make sense to me by any means and evolution is one. That does not make me brainwashed, that does not make me ignorant or uneducated. I also understand that many non-believers cannot understand many things that those who believe, believe in. That also does not make them ignorant or uneducated. (Please also note, I am no fan of any man made religion, especially the Catholic Church as I was a member for 20 years. I believe a relationship with God is more important than a religion where you have to obied by some leader telling you what to do that doesn't make sense to you). Also, why would anyone, even if they did not believe in God, turn down a prayer?
Anyways, off on a little tangent there, I am thanking you for your post. It is nice to not be bashed by one who believes in evolution. Blessings to you and yours.
I seriously think MotherEarth is pissed off at all this religious nonsense.
Goodness...the pope is afraid of a little rain! Didn't want to get his fancy dress wet. Too bad his minions didn't fell the same way about the poor girls in Ireland that spent years washing clothes to fill the church coffers. Disgusting! He heads a criminal enterprise. Little Nazi!
I thought the beast had control of the wind.and rain.
Hopefully, Zeus is exacting revenge for Christianity's habit of destroying/absorbing other civilizations.
I love the picture of all the shirtless people enjoying the spray of water. Is this the Pope's speech or Ibiza?
Look for me in the whirlwind...
- Marcus Garvey
11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
-God. (1st Kings 19:11-13)
Well, I seem to think that God is good and He gave them rain to refresh and cool the pilgrims of the high heat of the day!