Anna Arco carries the story of a woman who is a Italian residing in Switzerland where she is in psychiatric care. The woman was apparently motivated by the reports in which the Pope’s Christmas message had been interpreted as a direct attack on homosexuals and transsexuals. She is now in police custody. It is unclear whether she will be returned to Switzerland.
The woman can be seen in the video, I am surprised not to have seen the story erported elsewhere.
21 comments:
I posted on it - I also watched it - your story confirms my suspicions that the misinterpreted statement by the Holy Father may have been her motive.
We were watching a repeat of Midnight Mass on EWTN on Christmas Day and my father said "that woman tried to attack the Pope!"
We were all shocked, but glad that the Swiss guard were there to stop her!
God Bless the Pope!
How very sad. I watched the video of the Pope's midnight Mass on kto but never saw the attempted attack. Either I must be very unobservant or this was taken from a different angle or perhaps it was edited out of the video. Still it is surprising that it does not seem to have made any headline anywhere.
It is sad that such a good man should have to be guarded from danger by high profile security. But remembering the attacks on previous Popes and the attack and death of the leader of Taize, it seems all too easy for such a tragedy to happen.
When I was in Lourdes for the visit of Pope Benedict the security was phenomenal. I only heard one person moaning about the cost for 'just one man.' Most people were pleased that he was so well protected.
I counted twenty vanloads of CRS (the riot squad) arriving in advance and later there were marksman positioned on top of buildings on his route and someone pointed out to me three marksmen positioned on the hill overlooking the venue for the outdoor Mass.
We must continue to pray for the safety of Pope Benedict and for the brave men who guard him and not forget the poor souls who wish him harm.
Out of curiosity I have just watched the end of the kto video - the pretty Neapolitan carol was being sung as the Holy Father processed out. And yes the attack is shown (just after 2 hrs duration). However the commentator made no mention of it carrying on talking about a couple of innovations in the Mass this year.
Pelerin et al:
My husband and I watched the whole thing live on kto, and frankly we had been so upset by the interpretation that had been put on the Holy Father's speech to the curia, that we were concerned only for him. We thought he looked strained to say the least, throughout the Mass. He appeared to have very little strength in his right arm and we actually wondered whether he had not suffered another minor stroke. As a result of all this we were just glad when it came to the recessional. There was a flash of red (the woman, as it now turns out) but as Pelerin says the commentator ignored it and almost immediatley the coverage finished. I was annoyed because they had said they would cover the crib blessing.
A friend emailed me and said a woman had tried to leap out at the Pope but had been controlled, one of the Cardinals helping to effect this.. (She had watched on CTV.)I had told her that we thought the kto coverage had made it look as if they had bundled him off. We thought because he was unwell.
Later when I looked at the kto edited video, the footage that Fr Blake has put up is absent but there is added footage which was not shown on the night itself, of the children going into the crib with their flowers, obviously after the incidnet. No Holy Father though. Seems they took him out of it, although somewhere I read that he did bless the crib.
Who has suggested that this woman was motivated by anger over the speech to the Curia? Has there been such adverse reaction in other countries, apart from in Britain and perhaps the US? There certainly doesn't seem to have been such an outraged reaction in France, at least not yet. I last checked Le Figaro and Le Monde yesterday.
Sure, the Vatican probably wants to downplay the 'homosexual outrage' nonsense and perhaps we should let sleeping dogs lie, but it does show how vulnerable Benedict is. Pray for him without ceasing.
God bless all.
I saw it too. They quickly grabbed her and handled it.I recall people commenting in English seemed to me to make light of it.
In all likelihood, unlikely, but is it possible it was an intention to hug? I mean, as far as we can see from the video she was just stopped. I know that sound wet, but I'd rather believe that!
Reality isn't defined by what we would rather believe, there are many people who hate the Pope that is just a fact. Why do they hate him? Because he is a sign of contradiction to them.
The Swiss Guard have confirmed that the woman's intentions were to bite H.H. on the neck, no doubt she thinks she is a vampire or something.
the EWTN feed had it, and was commented on, as well CBS news over here had it on tv and online(still)
I was at Midnight Mass at St. Peter's and was no less than six feet away when this happened. She indeed looked crazed to me, but I thought perhaps she was sick and wanted to touch the Holy Father. If this is the real reason it's just sad, but I suppose it's the world we live in. The Holy Father did not seem at all strained to me during Mass. I was seated right on the aisle and during both the processions in and out of Mass there was this most amazing light in his eyes, a certain glow and happiness not often possessed by men of over eighty years. I don't see how anyone, seeing this man and feeling his great spiritual presence, could not know that he is the Vicar of Christ.
What is surprising is that the maistrean of the news media never made a report on that particular attack on the pope. As things are devoloping throughout the world, we shall not trust the secular news.
Like Royce, I was there at the Mass, but unlike him I saw absolutely nothing because I was farther back on the opposite side. They did not bundle the Pope off, as someone wondered; he did go to the crib and then left by walking down the main aisle as planned. He walked right by us and looked great, very serene. We were even commenting that he looked a lot less tired than we were, and we're not over 80 years old either!
How very sad that all too many don't or won't realize that to attack Our Holy Father, Our Pope, is to attack Jesus, who is God.
Pray for them. Thank you Lord for protecting Our Holy Father.
So many of those homosexual activists are fanatic and so extreme! They are such a menace and it does no good for their cause!
I think that before she goes off the psyche ward she will have an interview from Fr.Amorth and his exorcism squad to see if she is indeed crazy or more likely possessed! Remember that lady that tried to attack JPII back in the 90's? She was possessed and it took 6 swiss guards to hold her down, JPII tried to exorcise her and couldn't, it ended up being Amorth and his team who are still exorcising her.
Pope Benedict XVI is a wonderful man and probably a saint. At his age, all he wanted to do was retire but he has cheerfully accepted the task that God asked him to do.
My children and I were at the Midnight Mass last year and hope to be there Christmas, 2009.
I worry about the Pope because he is not a young man and he has a grueling schedule.
Glad to see that this woman wasn't able to harm him. He does look tired...as I would be if I had to maintain his schedule.
We all need to pray for him daily.
Please everyone say a Hail Mary for Pope Benedict every day,tokeep him safe and healty to be with us for a long time..
God Bless
Ursula
I don't understand what causes a person to do this sort of thing. If you're unhappy about what sacred scripture says about homosexuality, or anything else for that matter, then take it up with God. Don't take your frustrations out on the pope. He wasn't with Moses to bargain with God 3500 years ago when the book of Leviticus was written, and he wasn't with the apostle Paul to bargain with God almost 2000 years ago when the book of Romans was written.
God Bless and watch over our Pope Benedict the 16th....please let him live a long time with us....I was devastated when Pope John Paul the second died and I didn't think I could love another Pope like I loved him...But, there is something about him that I really love.....I feel safe knowing he is our Pope....Blessed Mother Mary watch over him always and keep him safe from anyone who wants to harm him...............
We need to continually offer prayers for our Holy Father and for all Catholic priests because they have so much work to do in this aching world. Jesus Christ, our Hight Priest and King has consecated these men in order to continue the work that He had started. By extending our love and support for them, we can help alleviate the heavy crosses they carry.
The Swiss Guard was on the ball that day. Good for them. In regards to her motivation, keep in mind she is under psychiatric care according to news sources.
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