This puts me in mind of a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode I watched the other night. Captain Picard was summoned by the Klingon leader to arbitrate the right of succession when he died.
Sure enough, he died shortly thereafter. The first thing Picard had to do was officiate at a ceremony to verify the leader’s death. But rather than using a silver hammer, they used Klingon “pain sticks”.
Alan, the Byzantine church follows the Roman law. Other Eastern Rite churches do not; all, however, are subject to the Congregation for Oriental Churches.
Once the death of the pontiff is declared, his ring is removed. At this point the silver hammer is used to smash it to smithereens. This also dates back many centuries; the ring was used to seal or notarize documents. Destroying it assured that no shenanigans would take place during the interegnum (the term between popes), like an authorization to have the entire Vatican Bank reserves transferred to someone’s private vault for safekeeping.
This whole area is explored carefully by John Allen in his book Conclave: The Politics, Personalities, and Process of the Next Papal Election.
Not so fast! Check out the case of Pope Michael I. Definitely worth a chuckle. Maybe even a pilgrimmage, if you’re near Kansas.
I found this link concerning Maxweel Edison:
http://www.worldsworstweb.com/1100/edison.htm
Even has a picture of him with his silver hammer.
Wow! That’s gotta be one big hammer.
But I bet they still buried him with a bell, just in case.
No…but I’ve also got parts of cpr classes chasing that around my mind, too. " Pope, pope, are you okay?" lol.
hahahahahahaha
This post surely deserves a high ranking.
LMAO at all of you.
Thanks
So, do the sedevaticanist “popes” even get the title of antipope, or does the Catholic Church not even give them that much dignity? I’m thinking the Vatican’s hierarchy on papal claims might be:
Pope
Antipope
Crazy guy running around thinking he’s Pope.
cstamets’ link explains that the song is about Maxwell Edison. Living in the states, I’d never heard of him.
IANAP, but I’d put him in the third category.
How old is that picture of him? I’ve met one or two of the “I reject Vatican II” crowd before, but they were old geezers.
I think that would be a wooosh. Unless President Bush really is disappointed with his rating on amihotornot.com
Interestingly, Michael considers Pope Paul VI (1963-78) to be the antichrist. On the other hand, another would-be pope also abhors the changes brought about by Vatican II, but Gregory XVII (apparently one of three G17’s out there) considers Paul VI to be a Saint, “the innocent victim of freemasonry and communism which actually govern the Church.”
Of course, everyone knows that John Paul II has been in bed with the communists his whole papacy.
“Pope John Paul has been in bed with the communists his whole papacy?” How do u figure- Ialways thought he was trying to bring down communism- he played a big part in liberating poland, after all. What sources do u haf, dqa that suggests otherwise?
-PK
Whoosh , part II, PK… unless you’re in turn making a Polish joke in which case that’s an excellent Compound Whoosh fodder.
Papal Undertaker: Bring out yer dead!
Cardinal: Here’s one.
PU: Ninepence.
Pope: I’m not dead!
PU: What?
C: Nothing. Here’s your ninepence.
PU: 'Ere. He says he’s not dead!
C: Yes he is.
P: I’m not!
PU: He isn’t?
C: Well, he will be soon. He’s very ill.
P: I’m getting better!
C: No, you’re not. You’ll be stone dead in a moment.
PU: I can’t take him like that. It’s against regulations!
P: I think I’ll go for a walk.
C: You’re not fooling anyone, you know. Look. Isn’t there something you can do?
P: [singing] I feel happy! I feel happy!
[bing bang Maxwell’s Silver Hammer came down upon his head!]
C: Ah, thanks very much.
PU: Not at all. See you on Thursday.
I concur
Try this one. Maxwell Edison elected. Hits self on head with silver hammer.
Cardinal:Why are you doing that?
Pope: Because it feels so good when I stop.
Y’know, this is a truly excellent example of a bad way to resurrect a two-year-old thread.
As if there was ever a GOOD way.
Welcome, Zonyx; feel free to look around and read old threads, but try not to post just to say you agree with something someone said back in '02, and probably doesn’t even remember saying, if they’re even still around the message board. It doesn’t go over too well.
Interesting. I never understood the Beatles “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” reference before. Now I do.