# Can the Pope bless the ocean ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329 "2010-04-25T20:02:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/21 "2010-04-27T03:53:30Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > The Pope has some pretty powerful blessing mojo. I was in an “audience” with The Pope once (the \*real \*Pope, JP-2), which consisted of about 9000 people standing around in St. Peter’s Square. They had a “blessing of the artifacts” or something like that. I’d brought along a small crucifix to be blessed. So assuming everyone had something, that’s 9000 artifacts blessed with one wave of the Papal hand. Wow, he must have been a really high-level Pope. The only mass blessing I’ve seen was for motorcycles, and the preacher was pretty weak. He had to actually touch each bike individually for the magic to work. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/22 "2010-04-27T04:37:41Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > The only mass blessing I’ve seen was for motorcycles, and the preacher was pretty weak. He had to actually touch each bike individually for the magic to work. I guess for air-cooled motors you don’t need any holy water in the radiator: [http://www.gregoryharwell.com/blessing\_of\_the\_cars.htm](http://www.gregoryharwell.com/blessing_of_the_cars.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/23 "2010-04-27T04:40:54Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > I guess for air-cooled motors you don’t need any holy water in the radiator: No, you need holy [this](http://pw1.netcom.com/~heliboy/dehydrated_water.jpg). . ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/24 "2010-04-27T15:15:49Z")
If he can see it, he can bless it, so yes. For all the good it’ll do ya. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/25 "2010-04-27T15:40:18Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Seeing as there are roughly as many atoms in a large glass of water than there are glasses of water on the planet, then surely every body of water, however small should reasonably be considered to contain water that has been blessed by some Pope. And many atoms must have been blessed more than once (although my head hurts trying to work out the likehood of any one atom being blessed several times over). What then for vampires eh? Eh? > > Or does it the water lose it’s blessed status once it’s gone through the water cycle? that’s why the Homeopathic sect of the RCC considers that all the water on earth is Holy Water. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/26 "2010-04-29T19:42:45Z")
But how many angels can swim in a drop of water small enough to attach to the head of a pin? OK, isn’t it time someone moved this from GQ to MPSIMS? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/27 "2010-04-29T20:19:01Z")
That would be truly miraculous. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/28 "2010-04-29T20:24:46Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > It used to be that he could but since the Second Vatican Council it was decided that the Pope’s powers capped at blessing the Indian Ocean. Some wiki and some basic math later, it would take 2.5 popes to bless the Pacific. Bummer. We haven’t had that since Avignon. ---
**Author:** ![Recliner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a88e57/32.png) [@Recliner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recliner)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/29 "2010-04-29T20:56:36Z")
For some reason I’m picturing a Brooklyn Cardinal saying, “Hey! Benny? You name it, he blessses it amiright fellas?” “You got that right, Paulie!” “Fugeddaboutit.” …I hope its not blasphemous to call the Pope, “Benny”. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/30 "2010-04-29T21:40:01Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Eastern Catholics and Orthodox DO drink it. Yeah, but I’m pretty sure they don’t pee in it. Also, IANAP, but I’m thinking if you blessed that much water at once the blessing would be pretty diluted. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/31 "2010-04-29T22:55:36Z")
I think if he was going to bless the ocean, it’s too late for the part adjoining Louisiana right now… ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/32 "2010-04-30T04:02:37Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I think if he was going to bless the ocean, it’s too late for the part adjoining Louisiana right now… No, he just anoints it with oil. ---
**Author:** ![BlooD\_FeatheR\_BG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/54ee81/32.png) [@BlooD\_FeatheR\_BG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlooD_FeatheR_BG)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/33 "2010-04-30T08:59:25Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > It used to be that he could but since the Second Vatican Council it was decided that the Pope’s powers capped at blessing the Indian Ocean. Some wiki and some basic math later, it would take 2.5 popes to bless the Pacific. 2 Popes at the same time?.. plus a disabled one… (1+1+0,5=2,5 right.?!) Just a joke:D (I hope I don’t go to hell for this stupid statement:eek:) I think I know a person from CHERNOBYL,who can do it:dubious: …by himself. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/34 "2010-04-30T13:21:42Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > No, he just anoints it with oil. OK, now that’s the funny right there. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/35 "2010-04-30T13:28:30Z")
If every pope blessed just the Indian Ocean, how many popes would it take untill all ocean water was blessed? Show your work. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/36 "2010-04-30T19:48:29Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > If every pope blessed just the Indian Ocean, how many popes would it take untill all ocean water was blessed? Show your work. 4.4 You tell me how we are handling the fractions. (Indian Ocean about 70 cubic miles out of 310 from the total, as per wiki) ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/37 "2010-04-30T20:35:54Z")
“Or does it the water lose it’s blessed status once it’s gone through the water cycle?” Or a person’s water cycle? Does this mean that every time I drain my dragon I have to get re-blessed? Maybe we need a Patron Saint of elimination. Maybe, I said. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/38 "2010-04-30T20:51:29Z")
The 3.5 edition of the SRD says [Bless Water](http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/blessWater.htm) only manages 1 pint per casting. Figuring the Pope for a level 20 Cleric, he’s got at least 45 castings of level 1 spells per day. Figure enough bonus spells for his Wisdom score to grant another 5 for 50 pints of water a day. That’s still only 6.25 gallons a day. It’d take him a month to bless the kiddie pool at the Vatican, to say nothing of the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/39 "2010-04-30T22:12:28Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > The 3.5 edition of the SRD says [Bless Water](http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/blessWater.htm) only manages 1 pint per casting. Figuring the Pope for a level 20 Cleric, he’s got at least 45 castings of level 1 spells per day. Figure enough bonus spells for his Wisdom score to grant another 5 for 50 pints of water a day. That’s still only 6.25 gallons a day. > > It’d take him a month to bless the kiddie pool at the Vatican, to say nothing of the ocean. We need the “Heroes & Demigods” (or something like that) source book, I am fairly sure Benny is at least a lvl60 Human Cleric of LE alignment… ---
**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329/40 "2010-04-30T22:18:26Z")
When I saw the title of this thread, I thought it was going to be about the Gulf of Mexico. They could use some high-level help. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-pope-bless-the-ocean/537329.md?page=3)