Behind the scenes of the new Pope's selection

o_someoldguy · 05-06-2005, 01:13 PM

From an email acquaintance...
----------------------------------------

As I understand it, Ratzinger was not the Cardinals' first choice. That was, interestingly, Cardinal Hans Grapje. Grapje was raised in a Catholic school in The Hague and, as a young man, aspired to become a priest, but was drafted into the Army during WWII and spent two years co-piloting B-17s until his aircraft was shot down in 1943 and he lost his left arm. Captain Grapje spent the rest of the war as a chaplain, giving spiritual aid to soldiers, both Allied and enemy.

After the war, he became a priest, serving as a missionary in Africa, piloting his own plane (in spite of his handicap) to villages across the continent.

In 1997, Father Grapje was serving in Zimbabwe when an explosion in a silver mine caused a cave-in. Archbishop Grapje went down into the mine to administer last rights to those too severely injured to move. Another shaft collapsed, and he was buried for three days, suffering multiple injuries, including the loss of his right eye. The high silver content in the mine's air gave him purpura, a lifelong condition characterized by purplish skin blotches.

Although Cardinal Grapje devoted his life to the service of God as a scholar, mentor, and holy man, church leaders ultimately decided that he
should not ascend to the Papacy.

They felt that the Church would never accept a one-eyed, one-armed, flying purple Papal leader...

o_frenchtoast · 05-06-2005, 01:54 PM

I like the last line. Pretty brutal story though.

o_someoldguy · 05-06-2005, 02:11 PM

I hope you realize it's a pun.... of course you do!

There was a song waaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day (1958?) from Sheb Wooley called "The Purple People Eater". It had the refrain "It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater" ...

o_broodingdude · 05-06-2005, 06:05 PM

That's pretty good!

o_roughneck · 05-06-2005, 09:41 PM

don't forget the killer movie of the same name

o_fathom · 05-06-2005, 09:47 PM

I hated that song... kinda like the song that never ends... Cool how the story and that song came together tho.

o_sobe green · 05-07-2005, 12:45 AM

Dear god it'll take a week to get that song out of my head.

o_otiz · 05-07-2005, 01:30 AM

I have absolutely, positively NO idea what the fuck you lot are going on about.

o_|404|innoc-tpf- · 05-07-2005, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoBe Green

Dear god it'll take a week to get that song out of my head.

Like that? I gotta better one for you

"Oh my baloney has a first name. It's O-S-C-A-R....."

Or how about...

"Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer weiner. That is truly what I want to be. For if I were and Oscar Meyer weiner everyone would be in love with me"

o_thedarkone · 05-07-2005, 06:19 AM

Mein bratwurst has a first name, it's F-R-I-T-Z.
Mein bratwurst has a second name, it's S-C-H-N-A-C-K-E-N-P-F-E-F-F-E-R-H-A-U-S-E-N...

o_lithium · 05-07-2005, 06:57 AM

I'm not concerned by that , Religion is blind slavery.

05-06-2005, 01:13 PM	#1
o_someoldguy Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Just east of the jug handle Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Behind the scenes of the new Pope's selection From an email acquaintance... ---------------------------------------- As I understand it, Ratzinger was not the Cardinals' first choice. That was, interestingly, Cardinal Hans Grapje. Grapje was raised in a Catholic school in The Hague and, as a young man, aspired to become a priest, but was drafted into the Army during WWII and spent two years co-piloting B-17s until his aircraft was shot down in 1943 and he lost his left arm. Captain Grapje spent the rest of the war as a chaplain, giving spiritual aid to soldiers, both Allied and enemy. After the war, he became a priest, serving as a missionary in Africa, piloting his own plane (in spite of his handicap) to villages across the continent. In 1997, Father Grapje was serving in Zimbabwe when an explosion in a silver mine caused a cave-in. Archbishop Grapje went down into the mine to administer last rights to those too severely injured to move. Another shaft collapsed, and he was buried for three days, suffering multiple injuries, including the loss of his right eye. The high silver content in the mine's air gave him purpura, a lifelong condition characterized by purplish skin blotches. Although Cardinal Grapje devoted his life to the service of God as a scholar, mentor, and holy man, church leaders ultimately decided that he should not ascend to the Papacy. They felt that the Church would never accept a one-eyed, one-armed, flying purple Papal leader...

05-06-2005, 01:54 PM	#2
o_frenchtoast Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Markham, Ontario, Canada! Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	I like the last line. Pretty brutal story though.

05-06-2005, 02:11 PM	#3
o_someoldguy Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Just east of the jug handle Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	I hope you realize it's a pun.... of course you do! There was a song waaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day (1958?) from Sheb Wooley called "The Purple People Eater". It had the refrain "It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater" ...

05-06-2005, 06:05 PM	#4
o_broodingdude Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Hawaii Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	That's pretty good!

05-06-2005, 09:41 PM	#5
o_roughneck Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	don't forget the killer movie of the same name

05-06-2005, 09:47 PM	#6
o_fathom Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Auburn, AL Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	I hated that song... kinda like the song that never ends... Cool how the story and that song came together tho.

05-07-2005, 12:45 AM	#7
o_sobe green Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Arkansas Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Dear god it'll take a week to get that song out of my head.

05-07-2005, 01:30 AM	#8
o_otiz Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Iceland Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	I have absolutely, positively NO idea what the fuck you lot are going on about.

05-07-2005, 06:19 AM	#10
o_thedarkone Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Quebec, Canada Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Mein bratwurst has a first name, it's F-R-I-T-Z. Mein bratwurst has a second name, it's S-C-H-N-A-C-K-E-N-P-F-E-F-F-E-R-H-A-U-S-E-N...

05-07-2005, 06:57 AM	#11
o_lithium Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	I'm not concerned by that , Religion is blind slavery.

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