What the hell? I thought this was a joke.

[Sannum]

The poor guy suffered enough...I hope they have never done it to anyone who was just in a deep sleep. Nothing like knocking someone in the head...

"When a Pope dies,1 the "Cardinal Camerlengo" (Cardinal Chamberlain) first verifies the death. Traditionally, this is done by striking the Pope's forehead gently thrice with a silver hammer while asking him, using his Baptismal name, if he is dead, e.g., "Karol Wojtyla, are you dead?" When there is no response from the dead Pope, the Camerlengo solemnly announces his death and removes the Fisherman's ring from the dead Pope's finger. This ring, along with the papal seal, are broken, and the Pope's bedroom and study are sealed up."

[Nevernose]

1. Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer came down upon his head

Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer made sure that he was dead.

[MrModerate]

5. Wait a minute -- do you think

That's what Lennon (it was John, wasn't it) was referring to in that song, the papal death test?

If so, my day is complete, because I had no idea.

[mrbassman03]

11. Wow, that would make my day as well!

Anyone?

[Borgnine]

19. It was McCartney.

(n/t)

[Cooley Hurd]

26. Lennon hated that song...

...almost as much as he hated "Ob-la-di ob-la-da...":thumbsdown:

[progressoid]

39. Oh, thanks for that earworm

Now I'll wake up with that one playing over and over and over.

[MrModerate]

2. Phew -- and I thought satanist rites were weird n/t

[Wapsie B]

3. Lots of rituals in the RC faith.

Never heard this one though.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

4. "Yes, I'm dead. Now put that fucking hammer away."

[Renew Deal]

33. lol

:rofl:

[Arugula Latte]

6. It sounds like a Monty Python sketch, doesn't it?

"Now it is time for The Banging on the Head of His Holiness with the Silver Hammer!"

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

10. Bringeth the Holy Hammer....

Now striketh thy pontiff thrice, not twice or once and no more than thrice meaning thou shalt not striketh thy pontiff four times upon his head.

*ting* *ting* *ting*

(loudly) ARE YOU DEAD?

I feel better?

He's dead, Sir...


etc.

[Arugula Latte]

14. "'E's not dead! 'E's just stunned!"

"'E's pinin' for the fjords..."

[Nay]

24. "Bring out your dead...bring out your dead."

"I'm not dead yet! I'm not dead yet!" (Monty Python)

[radwriter0555]

27. *snarf*

Okay WAY TOO FUNNY!

[Garbo 2004]

15. LOL!!!! (n/t)

[Behind the Aegis]

7. Klingons

That reminds me of the Klingon death ritual for a Klingon ruler. I saw it on ST:TNG. They take a tazer stick and shock him. I wonder if that is where that came from? Don't laugh...the whole "V" salute from the Vulcans is from a Jewish ritual! So maybe someone modified this ritual. :shrug:

[Robeson]

8. Its all about rituals....

....not unlike the rituals that accompanied the death of a Roman Emperor. In fact, the papacy is a relic of the Roman Empire.

[murielm99]

9. I was watching CBS right after he died.

They reported that this ritual was skipped this time around. However, they broke his ring and seal.

CBS reported that they rang a small silver bell three times instead of hitting him with a hammer. The reporter compared the hammer ritual to placing a feather or a mirror under someone's nose to see if they are still breathing.

[Jamastiene]

12. You mean

in other words, if they want you dead, they just smack you in the head with a hammer? Hey, that FUCKING hurts, I know from first hand experience what that feels like, only the hammer used on me wasn't silver, it was steel. And I only got hit once before I wrestled the hammer away.

Hell, if you aren't dead, getting whacked in the head with a hammer three times'll make damn sure you ARE when they get through with you.

[NYC]

13. I read they don't do that anymore.

I read it recently, but I can't vouch for the veracity. I think they don't do that anymore.

[Placebo]

16. I wish the name 'Karol' would come back in style for boys...

it's pretty.

hmm...

yes, that's all I have to say...

[Arugula Latte]

17. How about Beverly?

Or Leslie?

(I'm thinkin' of "Beverly Leslie" the closet-case on Will & Grace, of course)

[Placebo]

18. Or 'Lindsey'

:)

[Arugula Latte]

20. Yes. Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham would be pleased.

Or maybe it's "Lindsay."

[politicat]

23. I'm married to one.

Spelled differently, but same pronunciation.

He wishes it would go away; he gets tired of being presumed to be lesbian. (Not that he minds lesbians, but it wears after a while, and he has a tenor voice.)

I suppose if it came back in a big way, that would make him happy, too.

[Placebo]

34. See...

there's so much suffering in the world...and a resurgence of 'Karol' would make the world a much better place. :)

[RagingInMiami]

35. What about Kim?

Why are some men named Kim? How did that get started? Which came first, Kimberly for girls, or Kim for men. Or is Kim for men really short for something else, like Kim is short for Kimberly?

[Placebo]

37. I wish I knew!

Gah, all the mysteries of life that I will never know.

[RagingInMiami]

36. What about Kim?

Why are some men named Kim? How did that get started? Which came first, Kimberly for girls, or Kim for men. Or is Kim for men really short for something else, like Kim is short for Kimberly?

[imenja]

21. its a ritual

it dates from more than a thousand plus years ago. Don't worry about it. It's not your head getting hit.

[gardenista]

22. There's often a good reason behind these rituals.

The Pope, especially a few hundred years ago, was extremely powerful. I'll just put it this way. If Rove were the probable successor, you'd want to make damn sure that his predecessor was really dead, and hadn't just been slipped some kind of Rovian potion.

And you sure as hell wouldn't want him to get hold of that official seal!

[Cannikin]

25. Annie! Annie! Are you ok?

[lonestarnot]

28. WTF... Maxwell's silver hammer indeed. n/t

[Nikia]

29. I started laughing when I read that too

I wonder if any of the popes awoke to this. I think that if I awoke to that, I'd be rather upset.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

30. better than being buried alive, however...

[-..__...]

31. From the Vatican collection...

Facsimile Pope hammers.

[knitter4democracy]

32. I heard that the best way to know is to start a prayer.

I read once that a priest liked to start the Lord's Prayer with people they thought might be in a coma or be slipping away. He said that he was suprised at how many times people would start praying with him--it's such an often-repeated prayer that people will remember it.

Of course, they were probably all praying around him the rosary over and over again, so maybe that wouldn't work. Names are powerful too, though, so I guess they know what they're doing.

[baldguy]

38. I don't know about cracking him on his head but....

There's a practical purpose form destroying the ring - the symbol of his office - and the seal - which he used to sign his decrees. Otherwise, unscrupulous people could use them after his death to issue phony proclamations.