Since i was censored and told i could only discuss this if i talked about a medieval context of old practices...here you go people!:

Whenever popes die, they are hit on the back of the head with a hammer to ensure their dead, just incase he's alive when the second one is appointed. What do you people think of this practice?

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I am a stone, I do not move. I take my time, I let him come closer. I have only one bullet. I aim at his eye. I do not tremble, I have no fear.

Glad to see you were able to put your thought into words acceptable to truebrit.

I'm not Catholic. They have quite a few rites and traditions I don't agree with, but I don't guess they bother me. I realized recently that most of my best friends are Catholic. We don't have to agree on everything to respect each other.

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"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves." ~Ronald Reagan

It is a medieval ritual.
They lightly tap his forehead 3 times and call out his Christian name. They are not bashing his head in like you tried to make it sound in the post that was deleted Sunday.

I really could care less about it. I don't understand why you are so obsessed with it. It is something that has become a tradition from medieval times when they did not have decent medical capabilities.

According to CNN it is not known whether the ritual is still carried out.

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Society is produced by our wants and government by our wickedness ~Thomas Paine

Do you have any idea what they have to do to embalm someone? It makes hitting someone with a hammer seem pretty tame. Further, this just in: HE'S DEAD. Really. He can't feel a thing.

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I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.

It's an odd tradition, but far more sensible that some that are still well alive today.

I heard on the radio this morning that an official from the Vatican came out and said that they have abandoned this tradition.

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Society is produced by our wants and government by our wickedness ~Thomas Paine

Whatever.

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I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.

[quote="Sickntiredofliblies";p="123809"]the reason it's adopted today is because they 'used' to deliver a killer blow to the back of the head in those times...and only because they didn't have the medicine to be really sure they were dead then. in modern times they have proper medicine to tell if he's dead "though i wouldnt be surprised if they still give him a overdose of morphine or something 'just' to be sure.

Naturally if two popes were alive at the same time and since they are meant to be direct represenitives of god...if they had two opinions that means theres no way they could be gods representitive on earth thus proof that catholisism is a lie.naturally the church goes to a lot of lengths to protect itself (i.e covering up scandles/child rape etc) so with something like this, which could efectivly kill catholisism, they want to make absolutly certain he's dead.

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I am a stone, I do not move. I take my time, I let him come closer. I have only one bullet. I aim at his eye. I do not tremble, I have no fear.

Do you have a link to prove that? The Catholic teaching that I received as a child never said that that was the case about the hammer. I've never heard of them killing the pope with a hammer.

The pope represents Catholicism. His opinions are consistent with the religion. Catholics do not consider him to be God.
Of course the cover ups are terrible. You can't find any Catholics that wont agree with that.

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Society is produced by our wants and government by our wickedness ~Thomas Paine

[quote="Sickntiredofliblies";p="124321"]
i wasn't saying they kill him...jsut when he dies, give him a knock 2 'make sure'

exactly, so if 2 differnt views BANG!!! hypocracy alert. thus they will never allow it to happen.

thats why i said "representitive" i.e what he says, is the word of god himself.

well...apart from the ones who helped do it. but i agree/hope your right about the majority of catholics. but they get 2 keep their hands clean, it's the clergy that have to get dirty covering up so "normal' catholics don't have too.

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I am a stone, I do not move. I take my time, I let him come closer. I have only one bullet. I aim at his eye. I do not tremble, I have no fear.