Man Burns Bible During Papal Mass in St. Peter’s Square
- Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:33pm by
Madeleine Morgenstern
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A man holds a copy of the bible as he stands on the edge of the colonnade that surrounds St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. (AP/Pier Paolo Cito)
A man climbed out onto the upper colonnade in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican and lit a bible on fire Sunday while Pope Benedict XVI was celebrating Mass.
According to the Associated Press, Vatican gendarmes, a bishop and the pope’s own bodyguard talked the man back from the edge of the colonnade.
He shouted, “Pope, where is Christ?” in English and threw the burned bible to the crowd below.
He climbed back from the ledge uninjured.
Benedict and the thousands in the square appeared unfazed by the incident and carried on with the Mass, during which the pope named three new saints. Many cheered after the man was secured.
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Comments (237)
JustJ
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:47pmBurn ‘em all you want… We’ll print more.
Report Post »chigger
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:25pmAmen Justi. And, burning it doesnt make it void either!
Report Post »CatB
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:38pmPut it on a kindle.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:47pmKing James illustrated bible .. 99 cents on Amazon.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:47pm99 cents .. King James Bible for Kindle.
Report Post »stablepar
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 6:28pmmost printed book the world has ever seen.
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:14am@ Justj
Report Post »Your post reminds me of a book I read a couple of years ago called “Fire in the Bones” — about William Tyndale (the man who translated the Bible into English from Greek and Hebrew in the 1500′s). Henry VIII was trying to stop the Reformation — and that meant stopping the English people from being able to read scripture. So, the English government bought and burned the “offending” books — thus ensuring a market to the printers! Sir Thomas More recommended against that practice — he was in favor of more burnings at the stake (what a saint!).
kickagrandma
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:37pm(cont. from previous post)
That others may be loved more than I,
That others may be esteemed more than I,
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase, and I may decrease,
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
That others become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,
JESUS, grant me the grace to desire it.”
And so, in HIS HOLY NAME we pray asking forgiveness for all our sins both committed and omitted. We truly pray this day, LORD, for the lost in this world. YOUR foe of old satan is stirring them up with confusion and lies. We pray YOUR PEACE, YOUR LOVE, YOUR COURAGE, YOUR WILL IN ALL THINGS, JESUS. In YOUR HOLY NAME we pray, amen.
Report Post »biohazard23
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:45pmAmen to that, too!
Report Post »4truth2all
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 9:16pmAnd people think christians are week.. to live that way takes great strength…. think that’s called meekness…… blessings
Report Post »Solzhenitsin
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:06pmAmen
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:33pmit may take 2 posts to get this to you all, but here goes. It is something a friend gave me long ago and it is taped inside my BIBLE:
Report Post »O, JESUS, meek and humble of heart, hear me
From the desire of being esteemed,
From the desire of being loved,
From the desire of being extolled
From the desire of being honored,
From the desire of being praised,
From the desire of being consulted,
From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, JESUS.
From the fear of being humiliated,
From the fear of being despised,
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
From the fear of being calumniated,
From the fear of being forgotten
From the fear of being ridiculed,
From the fear of being wronged,
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, JESUS.
(cont. next post)
wtune
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:26pmThis man is so fortunate to be burning a Bible in a crowd of Christians. If he had burned a Koran in a crowd of Muslims, the medical examiner would need DNA to identify him.
Christ showed pure love and commanded his disciples to love. Mohammad taught to hate and force his religion on others or kill them. When Peter used his sword at the garden where Jesus was betrayed, He told him to put away his sword and restored the ear to the guard to the high priest. In a similar confrontation with Mohammad, there would have been a blood bath.
It is easy for men to hate. It comes naturally to our fallen state. Practicing love is hard, but much preferable to the hatred taught by the imams.
Praise God, and His Son, from whom all blessings flow. May the love of the Creator fill your heart.
Report Post »biohazard23
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:29pmAmen.
Report Post »selenesteets
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:37pmVery well said. I second the Amen.
Report Post »Seawolf
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:42pmExactly my first thought too. These morons so intent on attacking Christianity do so because it is the path of least resistance. Maybe it’s time Christians started fighting back?
Report Post »chigger
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:33pm@Seawolf — nah, no need for us to fight back…the battle’s aready been won!
Report Post »hillarie
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:34pmBingo. I hope Cesium reads this.
Report Post »Swamp Fawkes
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 4:31pmditto
Report Post »Look4DBigPicture
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 5:48pmWell said, WTUNE
Report Post »b.mclane
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 12:24amI have come to learn only those who wish a higher value will receive it. You can’t make all horses drink water.
Report Post »Solzhenitsin
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:14pmSeawolf- Jesus spoke of turning the other cheek when struck on the face. Usually that’s not deadly force (a topic covered elsewhere), just momentarily painful and humiliating. This man burning a Bible isn’t even causing that much discomfort. To not ‘fight back’ shows a huge difference between Christians and Muslims, the latter of have rioted in the streets for days at a mere rumor of a Koran being mistreated (let alone an individual doing such a thing in their full view). We need to turn the other cheek to disrespect, humiliation, coersion (go the second mile) etc. and live out that difference.
Report Post »Taxpayer550
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:22pm2 Timothy 3:16-17
Report Post »“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
rl
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:20pmSnould have giv’in him the mooslum treatment and cut his head off…… you know thats what they would have done….
Report Post »LiberalMarine
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:27pmBehead him? How christian of you…
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:30pm@LIBERALMARINE
Report Post »Knight Templar: “Kill them all and let GOD Judge them!”!
chigger
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:35pmLiberal Marine –*SIGH* He did say give them the muslin treatment, not the Christian treament didnt he? How do you even know if he’s a Christian anyway? He doesnt state that in his post. So tired of all the hate filled speech against Christians.
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 6:37pmLiberalMarine
There are Christians, cultural Christian (like cultural Jews), secular conservatives, people on the border line of being agnostic & Christian, and Christians who will fail & not turn the other cheek.
Life is like a box of chocolates, you don’t know what you might get. But hey this guy & you can keep trying to push people’s buttons to see what happens.
Have an extra special day.
Report Post »Cavy2see
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 10:33pmDon’t sink to their level…of thinking…thank God every day we were born here in USA…and not another country…this man who burned the Bible is so sick…he put his match to the book of the world…we are not loud but proud in a humble way…Jesus did the pain for us and we gained…if you don’t accept the truth then so be it…we try to help but even Jesus said if a town does not want to hear the word shake your sandals so the dirt from that town falls off…and move on to save those who will hear…(not word for word) We praise You Lord & worship you…we bow our heads with love to You…
Report Post »Alydia
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:20pm“He shouted, “Pope, where is Christ?”
Well, certainly not in Catholicism!
Report Post »UBKidding
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:23pmHow odd you would say that about Christ’s ONLY Church.
Have a blessed Sunday.
Report Post »mficentral
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:18pmYou are so wrong. Jesus is in the heart and soul of every Christian and that most definantly includes Catholics. Go back to the HuffPo
Report Post »Secessionista
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:20pmU be kidding, u definitely be an idiot.
Report Post »Totally Domestic
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:17pmPerhaps you have heard the saying: You don’t break the 10 commandments, they break you.
Report Post »Perhaps it could be said: You don’t burn the Holy Bible, it burns you.
South Philly Boy
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:15pmBTW… Which Bible was it, King Jame’s or Catholic? Also he’s LUCKY that Were NOT LIKE muslims.
Report Post »skippy6
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:01pmExactly!!! and we need to remain peaceful defenders, and not to be like that idiot burning any books! Hopefully we never get to that point….
Report Post »mficentral
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:21pmI’m Catholic and I have both versions. They are both mostly the same.
Report Post »Deb C
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:42pmWHY do you think he did it ? He knew what would happen…
Report Post »barber2
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 5:02pmDEB C: Because he was needing his 15 minutes of fame ? Maybe he missed the Occupy Rome gathering since the police already stopped their “fires .” Maybe he just has some extra matches left and …..
Report Post »schmite123oh
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 9:13am@mficentral
Did you notice any contradictions with the appocrypha books in the catholic bible? I still dont understand why they made them canonical in the 1500′s so many years later when they were never deemed so before…
Report Post »YepImaConservative
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:12pmLarge Weber Grill, one can of lighter fluid, a generous amount of Qurans.
Somebody please call Rev. Terry Jones… he has a BBQ mission to perform in retaliation on behalf of the Bible.
Islamosmores anyone? Roast Pork kabobs?
Report Post »YepImaConservative
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:17pmOh wait, it didn’t say he was a Muslim. Maybe just a Math or Science book to PO the atheists!
Report Post »Solzhenitsin
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:25pmMath is a hard science. If you want to PO the atheists, you need to burn books on soft science- where they find a few facts, string them together with theory and declare the whole thing as “proven” and “the only scientific way to think.” Those are the scriptures of their faith.
Report Post »jb.kibs
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:10pmClassy.
Report Post »Mike777
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:02pmHe shouted, “Pope, where is Christ?” I believe this man needs our prays instead of criticisms. Please all reading say one pray for him.
O Lord, must I fear Your wrath?
Report Post »Retribution is Yours by right!
May I never dishonour Your Divinity,
My soul seeking to maintain Your love.
Shape my being into earnest kindness,
A reflection of Your perfection.
Grant me the grace of self-control,
That I may not display any anger.
Should I have such an outburst,
Instantly remind me to seek redress,
For such is offensive to You.
Anger is Yours alone to avenge!
lukerw
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:14pmWhile the Book is only Paper and Printed Words… I do not want this person in my society!
Report Post »Commonsense Libertarian
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:51pm@Luker:
Forgive them for they know not what they do. They have been turned over to reprobate minds, so we can only pray that the Lord will allow the scales to fall from their eyes.
Report Post »Pigpen
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 7:10pmMike777, that is a lovely post. Even though my faith does not practice saying wrote prayers, i will say this prayer you posted for the man in the article as you have requested. HOWEVER, I ask you to consider my idea of Peaceful Intolerance. i feel that we should not allow this offense to simply pass unnoticed, but that we should state LOUDLY that this is unacceptable and offensive. AND this man’s “activist atheism” should be questioned and criticized highly especially leveraging the inherent COWARDICE of those atheists who only renounce the Bible and not the Koran; who only blaspheme the Savior, but not Mohammed; and who only seek to offend the Christian, but not the Muslim TERRORIST.
Report Post »Cavy2see
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 10:39pmPlease remember our Bless Pope John Paul II was shot by a muslum…he forgave … him…how many of us could forgive…a person who tried to kill you…??? Part of me wants to forgive this man for burning the Bible…he must have a problem…but he should be arrested…he could have hurt some people or our present Pope…leader of our Holy Church…God help us all…I feel as if we are spinning on a carnival ride…and we cannot stop this horrors we are about to see soon…our nation needs a good leader…so we have to pray for it…and our religious leaders…they are human and need our prayers…
Report Post »Greenwood
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:01pmIn 1559 Pope Paul IV forbid possession of Bibles and they were confiscated and burned often their owners burned with them. The Catholic church has a long history of this. It went on for hundreds of years. So he just doing the work of the church which continued well into the 20th century. Yet it still survived “Your word is truth” (John 17: 17)
Report Post »rpp
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:19pmIf you paid money to go to school, you should demand a refund.
Report Post »Ajamesh2603
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:20pmRather cheeky of you to post a date and action, and present your belief as fact. You do the media proud!
Report Post »YoungConservativesRule
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:22pmThat‘s the stupidest thing I’ve heard in a while…
Report Post »Greenwood
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 4:00pmThe facts are easy to check. Don’t take my word for it . Do your own homework.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 4:58pmKnow what: who cares ? This blast from the past has no relevance. Only know of one other religion which wants to drag us back to the past….
Report Post »stmikearchangel
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 5:00pmGreenwood you are twisting the facts just as the media does,…the reason Bibles were chained up is because printed Bibles were very expensive in todays money a printed Bible, at that time would have been worth $100,000, no wonder they kept it under lock and key! The Church did burn Bibles they were false heretical Bibles to be exact. Someone by the name of Martin Luther removed seven books and changed and added phrases to the Bible that was unchanged for 1500 years.
Report Post »conservativewoman
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 6:10pm@GREENWOOD
Report Post »Yes, Pope Paul IV was a great disappointment; so are a few of our U.S. Presidents who did some terrible things. Would you condemn our country for that? By the way, Paul IV died in 1559, scorned by Catholics.
Your hate of Catholics shows that you may have some negative history as well.
2gether
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 7:25pmWhy yes Greenwood, just the other day our parish gathered up all the bibles after the liturgy and then we grabbed the nearest protestant tied him to a stake and burned him along with the bibles. After that we went around condemning all the Jews for having killed Jesus and just for good measure at midnite we grabbed the confederate flag, donned our white hooded robes and ran through the neighborhood screaming the N word. It was a fine night of celebration. You are something else. I will pray for you and everyone else who likes to live in the dark ages.
Report Post »Greenwood
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 7:32pmThe common people were not given access to the Bible because the clergy wanted power over the masses. Another of the many examples is 1199 Pope Innocent III viewed as heretics any who dare to translate and dicuss the Bible. Those who defy the pope’s order are often tortured or killed. It has nothing to do with hatred of catholics but is just the truth. I was a catholic for many years and know that many of the teaching of the church are not based on bible teaching but church traditions.
Report Post »birddog52
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 12:36amIf you are realy worried about human suffering . You dont have to look back any farther than the 20th century . Hundreds of millions dead by Socialist , Communist , and Fascist powers — all secular . You have to go back a thousand years to dredge up Catholic failures which dont even come close .
Report Post »Greenwood
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:33pmThe Catholic Inquisition went on for hundreds of years and persecuted millions. They have incurred a heavy bloodguilt against those who translated, read or even owned the Bible. They confiscated and burned the Bible right up to the early 20th century.
Report Post »mwhaley
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:57pmMissed opportunity. After the guy asked where is Christ. He should have been pushed him off so he could have seen Jesus in person.
Report Post »Greenwood
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:06pmThe whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one…………..1 John 5: 19
Report Post »Taxpayer550
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:16pmGreenwood,
Report Post »Amen to that! It’s just going to get worse until Jesus returns.
toto
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:55pmThe best discussion on this incident is the difference in which the event is handled by the media and political people. Everyone has become so afraid of the Islamists that everyone bends to their will, even here in the US. It is not wise folks, those that kowtow to them are sowing the seeds of our destruction.
Report Post »Thomas
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:00pmStupid people can‘t understand we don’t worship the bible but only God. The bible is just a record of those who were dealing with the Truth which obviously this man lacks.
Report Post »LiberalMarine
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:50pmWhat does being an atheist have anything to do with my military service?
Report Post »affinnity
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:48pmThe best protest would be to pour gasoline on himself and burn himself while holding and reading the Bible. He should keep trying until he gets it right.
Report Post »PATRIOTGRUNT
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:47pmBoy this guy is courageous. Wow any body can burn the Bible . If he had any b@lls he would go to Mecca and burn the Koran. Now that would impress the hell out of me.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 4:54pmAgree. The “love your neighbor/ forgiveness” business becomes a handicap when dealing with the Sharia type Muslims !
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:46pmA liberal, atheist Marine, huh? You are either stupid or a liar. Which one is it?
Report Post »susie4dy
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:45pmMay this man burn in Hell for that!
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 2:34pmPerhaps we should leave THAT decision up to God?!?!?
Report Post »Solzhenitsin
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:18pmWhy? All have sinned and are worthy of hell, he didn’t do anything worse than those who lie to their moms, neither is he better than Hitler. Sin is sin just like wet is wet. One can be soaked to the skin or fully imersed, but one is still wet.
Report Post »AB5r
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:44pmHe broke that rule doing what he did. Trying to live by that rule would cause most atheists to have to deny who they are.
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:42pmWhy does the headline emphasize that he burned a Bible, and not that he was obviously a crazy person who had to be talked down from a ledge?
Report Post »commonsenseguy
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:41pmwell, when he is at the pearlie gates,he will have to answer for his ignorance, i would not want to be around him when the trap door to hell is opened and he drops like a rock,he has made his bed,now that he burned the bible, he now will spend eternity burning in a place that is way hotter than the flame on the bible,
Report Post »UlyssesP
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:40pmTry that in Iran with a Koran.
Report Post »davienne
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 8:57pmtry to burn the koran in the U.S.A…
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 7:58amWhat I was thinking.
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 1:36pmJump ,
He may grant you an interview
Report Post »Then Probably, Meet your new master, Bring your summer clothes