Shots Fired Before Papal Mass in Germany, Suspect Arrested
- Posted on September 24, 2011 at 8:36am by
Madeleine Morgenstern
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Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass with 30,000 in Germany, just after shots were fired at a papal guard. No one was injured and the suspect was arrested, officials said. (Photo credit: AFP)
Shots were fired at a papal guard shortly before Pope Benedict XVI led an outdoor mass in Germany Saturday morning.
A man fired at a guard four times at the edge of the security zone about an hour before the service in the eastern city of Erfurt, Vatican and local officials said.
The pope’s spokesman, the Reverend Federico Lombardi, said there was “no worry” among the papal entourage about the incident, and the pontiff was not informed about it before the mass, which was attended by 30,000 people.
“It didn’t seem particularly urgent,” he told reporters on the pope’s plane after the Mass.
Police said the alleged shooter had been arrested and that there were no injuries.
According to the Telegraph, the man was said to have fired the shots from within an apartment before being arrested.
“Between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., a total of four shots were fired at two members of a security firm. Neither person was hurt … a suspect was taken into custody in an apartment. It was not the tenant of this apartment. An investigation has been launched against this person for attempted grievous bodily harm. Two airguns were secured,” police spokesman Dirk Sauter said.
The service came after the pope met German victims of priest abuse in an attempt to stem the loss of support for the Catholic Church in the country.
He met Friday with two women and three men from parishes across the country, who were among the abused. The Vatican said the pope expressed “deep compassion and regret” at the suffering of those who were abused and assured them that the Catholic Church is seeking “effective measures to protect children”.
Victims have accused the pope of being part of a systematic cover-up by the church hierarchy for pedophile priests in his earlier roles as an archbishop in Germany, and later when he headed the Vatican morals office.
Survivors‘ groups were quick to denounce the pope’s meeting with victims as an empty gesture, maintaining the Catholic Church has not done enough to prosecute offending priests and prevent future abuse.
Following the mass in Erfurt, the pontiff departed for the south-western city of Freiburg, the final stop of his four-day visit.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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V-MAN MACE
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 12:37pmRat Zinger is a Nazi.
Once a Nazi, always a Nazi.
Report Post »Currahee101st
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:15pmYeah and yur Grandma whored for the Nazis. She wasn’t German but she had some German in her?
Report Post »Currahee101st
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:18pmYeah and yur Grandma whored for the Nazis. She wasn’t German but she had some nazi in her??
Report Post »gunnyb1973
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 10:50amhttp://www.catholic.com/video/infallibility-of-the-pope
Report Post »marilyn.darakjy
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 1:55pmIn reply to Barber2: every group has their wackos. I am disgusted when Pelosi says she is a Catholic, but wasn’t George Tiller a “Christian”? If I remember correctly, he was killed in a church he was attending.
Report Post »Talmid of Yeshua
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 1:25pmWhy doesn’t the article name the suspect? Oh, I know why, because he was a Muslim, and they are trying to downplay the story. Now if it was one of us racist tea-baggers, they’d have our name, picture, and a HUGE headline: “White Racist Tea-****** Tries to Kill White Racist Nazi Pope.”
Report Post »donh2
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 1:17pmGeorge Soros is not the only son of Hitler given power by Satan to bring the world down into the raptures of Hell. Somewhere in this crowd filmed in 1936 stands a boy now known as Pope Bennedict…>>>>…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIyF3B1_0bk
Report Post »gunnyb1973
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 10:39amAnd you know this because you were there, or are you assuming because the pope is ethnically German he must have been a nazi? Take a measure of time and read up on the Hitler youth and you wil find that HJ was compulsory. Your commnet is bigoted, are you a democrat?
Report Post »donh2
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 12:46pmThis is another sign of the End times The third rose prophesy of Fatima speaks of Satan ascending to the very top of Christ’s Church….. Well here we see the Pope, a child of Hitler youth , executing a Mass in the same stadium upon which Nazi euphoria was celebrated…. on the same day the UN is confronted with Palestine, the issue driving international war against Israel . The Pope is blessing homage to jewish holocaust.
Report Post »gunnyb1973
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 10:40amYou are not right are you?
Report Post »babylonvi
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 12:36pmI see that Ms. Morgenstern is at it again with her usual sensationalism and hyperbole. The Guardian states ‘A man fired an air-gun at a guard at the edge of the security zone about an hour before the service’. A few plinks with an AIR RIFLE hardly equate to ‘SHOTS FIRED’, at least not in my book.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 11:19amI was hoping The Pope got `em….; )
Wouldn’t that be a turn around? Great story line, all you novelists out there: a Pope who is an undercover avenging angel for GOD. Wish I had time to write it! Take the idea and run with it, guys.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 11:37amThe Angel came to the Pope immediately upon giving his life to Christ. He confessed his sins to the ultimate authority and asked for forgiveness. Since, he‘s been reading the Holy Bible and realizes the Truth that’s been suppressed.
Report Post »Gita
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 10:18amThe secret Our Lady of Fatima revealed to the three children has already been fulfilled. That being said no one knows the day and time of the second coming of Christ not even Jesus Himself. Why would any mere mortal even attempt to second guess God.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 11:31amIf you think the secret has already been fulfilled, you under estimate the power of GOD. Look at the world today and you haven’t seen EVIL yet. It’s coming. This is going to be an “E” coupon ride.
Report Post »Gita
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 1:06pm@Chips. It‘s obvious that you don’t know the secret. The secret Our Lady gave the children of Fatima was that a Pope would be shot. That secret was fulfilled when Blessed John Paul the second was shot hence Sister Lucia the eldest of the three children of Fatima felt the secret could be revealed. I hope you are always prepared for death for that is one secret of God’s that will never be revealed to us.
Report Post »woemcat
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 8:50pmyawn!
Report Post »RIGHTHOOK
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 10:11amFirst 5 comments: 2 were civil 3 sarcastic. Ignorance once again prevails……….
Report Post »barber2
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 10:09amRemember the Arab/Muslim ( ? ) who tried to take out the last popular Pope. Shot him during a motorcade. Set up by Russia ?
Report Post »Carol Ingian
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 10:05amI am thankful for the Pope’s safety.
Report Post »It is so sad that there is so much violence in the world.
poverty.sucks
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 11:30amBecause evil exist, so will violence. When you have faith in Jesus Christ, you will be at peace because you know who’s in control. Firm and sure knowledge of divine favor toward us, founded on the truth of a free promise in Christ, revealed to our minds, and sealed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That was the breath of fresh air. Roman Catholic Church departed from this. Now that is a sad sad situation for millions of people.
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 9:32amAirguns? Red Rider?
Report Post »TH30PH1LUS
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 9:23amROSE-ELLEN,
since you claim to be Catholic: Pope Benedict XVI condemns Islam’s violence. He said, quoting Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologos, show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find “only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached”. http://www.freedomszone.com/archives/2006/09/pope_benedict_xvi_condemns_isl.php
Report Post »barber2
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 10:07amRe. Rose Ellyn: Am amazed at how many political wackos the Church has created in America: Pelosi and Biden to name a few. Wish they had joined a religious order rather than enter politics !
Report Post »babylonvi
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 12:42pmCan anyone objectively argue with that assessment?
Report Post »rose-ellen
Posted on September 25, 2011 at 3:03pmThe pope condems all violence-including american and israeli. I think it was an error for him to make that comment regarding islam. it fuels the islamaphobic genocidal propaganda compaign in the west. i think he realized that and apologized . The fact that a christian monk said something bad about islam a thousand yrs ago is not surprising . I’m sure the pope could have found a quote froma christian monk back then saying vile things about jews, heretics and pagans. The pope is infallible in matters of dogma and morals [when he declares a theological insight or ethical position something infallible it is]. But he is a flawed human regarding everything rlse. What he said was lacking in discernment and harms the cause of Christ who calls us to be peacemakers and to treat the least of our brethren [the tale of the good samaritan-the totally reviled other] is applicale here .Today the muslims are the reviled samaritans . He made a mistake [ muslims haters like the people on the blaze eat this up to fuel their genocidal hatred].I’m surprised he did not realize what he was doing. But he acknowledged his error.Pope John Paul 11 would have known better. I think any one who publically supports legalized abortion should be denied communion.Professed catholics undermine the catholic church [Christ] when they publically support abortion.You can’t serve two masters To choose to dissobey the church in this grave ethical matter is to choose to not be catholic.You excommunicate yoursel
Report Post »NHwinter
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 9:21amWe are living in a very dangerous, demented world now. I pray that once we change the powers in DC come 2012, strength and civility will return to the world when they know America will once again hold a place of honor in the world.
Report Post »Amy
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 8:52amAnyone read any books by Fr Malachi Martin? They explain a whole lot.
Report Post »ThoreauHD
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 9:33amSo does the person he was named after. St Malachy. Get out your alarm clock, because you have one Pope left before the planet get’s flushed.
Report Post »TheGreyPiper
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 10:47amSorry folks, the Malachy “prophecies” are a hoax, and even the Church recognizes that.
http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/do-the-prophecies-of-st-malachy-suggest-we-are-living-in-the-end-times
Report Post »chips1
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 11:26am“Windswept House”? Can’t find my copy to confirm the correct title. It explains a lot.
Report Post »rose-ellen
Posted on September 25, 2011 at 11:10pmMalachi Martin? based on snippets of historical facts ,information,where it all comes together neat and tidy like a vast conspiracy.Really good reads though.
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