Don't get me wrong here. Of course, I would be curious, to say the least! I just hope my curiosity doesn't get satisfied - unless it was taken of him when he was a teenager or a seminarian...And if Ratzigirl did get hold of a picture like that, I doubt she would put it in the Buona notte section - she's too discreet for that! But I think we should ask her what she would do if...

REASSURANCES

Just to reassure everyone, I spent my entire lunch hour viewing all 24 pages of the Buonanotte section of the Italian forum to make sure there were no swimsuit photos posted of Papa or anybody else. I had to wade through one eye-catching photo after another surrounded by flashing hearts, numerous animated kissy faces (), adoring exclamations by the Italian girls in gigantic type font, page after page after page, to be absolutely sure and I can certify that there are no inappropriate photos in that section. I may have missed one page in the middle so I will probably spend some time this afternoon going back through all the pages just to make absolutely sure but I think Papa is safe.

ON THE OTHER HAND...

I looked at the Images section in the French forum and they have posted an animated version of the nurse going into a clinch with Papa during his visit to the Bambino Gesu Hospital a few months ago. It may be too much for some of you to take so if you are going to look at that page, proceed with caution. Take any blood pressure medication or sedatives BEFORE looking.

LOL
Yes, benefan please do keep an eye out for any photo of Papa swimming and if you find it please make note of thread and page number so that I can avoid it at all cost... ...

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I looked at the Images section in the French forum and they have posted an animated version of the nurse going into a clinch with Papa during his visit to the Bambino Gesu Hospital a few months ago.

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Benefan, I wish I'd be that nurse

THE OPPORTUNISTIC NURSE


Dinabella..."Benefan, I wish I'd be that nurse.."


Don't we all!!!

KATH.NET, an online German Catholic news agency, asked its readers recently to choose the top Catholic websites of 2005, and Kirsty in the German forum of RFC has just published the results.
#1 the Vatican's official site, www.vatican.va (multilingual)

#2 www.papstbenediktxvi.ch (a Swiss site in German)
It's kept up to date in terms of Benedict's activities and pronouncements as Pope as well as pictures of his Papal activities. One ambitious feature has been to excerpt the Pope's pronouncements and writings on specific topics and present them under each topic chosen. They have organized about a dozen topics so far.

#3 intelligam.blogspot.com - a German blogsite that occasionally uses some English material. The blogger's epigram is a quotation from Anselm of Canterbury: "Lord, I am not trying to penetrate your depths, because my spirit is not mature enough for that, but I would like to understand your Truth a little, your Truth which I believe and love. Neither do I seek to understand so that I may believe, but I believe so I can understand. And I also believe this- I can never understand what I don't believe." [my translation from the German]


#4 www.ratzingerfanclub.com (multilingual)-
HOORAY FOR CHRISTOPHER AND THE RFC! (I posted the English news first on the RFC, of course)

#5 www.voltosanto.com - German site dedicated to the Holy Face of Manopello,Italy, about which Paul Badde wrote a book.

Image of the Holy Face at the Capuchin Church of Manopello

You have to go to the French section - Images, page two.
They've put together an animation of that nurse taking Papa in her arms [if that isn't too strong a term!]
The heading is: Who among us has not dreamed of doing this?
Indeed! I dream of it all the time. First I wanted to be Hilda Brauer and have Joseph give me a bunch of flowers from the park. Then I wished I could have been that nurse.....that was September 30th, two days after I saw him. She was brave, but, heck, I'd have done the same if I'd been in a line of people like she was. And look at the nurse next to her - I think they had discussed it and the other girl had dared her......

Can Papa be in any doubt that he is loved? And that he's
IL BELLISSIMO BAVARESE


Buona notte e sogni d'oro!!!!!
Mary

[IMG]http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000BYVPTU.03.LZZZZZZZ.jpg[/IMG]

How gratifying, to say the least, that the WYD organizers decided to call the official DVD "BENE-DETTO", which is obviously their tribute to our Beloved Pope's resounding
conquest of the youth last August! But Papa must be protesting, too, saying "Please, it's not about me at all! It's about Him to whom we render our adoration." And the organizers can excuse themselves and say, "But Papa Ratzi, it was a play of words on your name! Bene-detto split up like that literally means well-said in Italian, and everything you said in Cologne was indeed very well said. And Benedetto, taken as a single word, means Blessed - and the event [S]was[/S] Blessed. So are we forgiven? Please?"

Personally, if I were the organizers, I would have added a subtitle - something like "BENE-DETTO: A Call to Christ" so it does not come across as a personality cult. God knows we Benaddicts have to be constantly aware of keeping the right perspective as we juggle our thoughts and walk a difficult tightrope trying to avoid tipping over into mere "idolatry"!

From Whispers on the Loggia:
Georg Gets Some Company
I'm not even going to translate this article because you already know the gist -- people love the Pope's secretary, Mons. Georg Ganswein. Every single Italian magazine has compared him to George Clooney at some point these last few months, and Romans male and female alike (including the wife of the Italian President) are still having one collective swoon over him.

Well, the latest edition of Panorama magazine (in Italian) adds another to what they call "The Lord's Beauties," citing Fr Thomas Williams, a Legionary of Christ and dean of the theology faculty at the Legion's Regina Apostolorum University in Rome. According to Panorama, "they look like the divos of Hollywood."

PS: RAtzgirl has posted the Panorama article in the " Quel segretario thread"...
Father Thomas is 43, blond and a very eelegant man, He was the theological adviser for Mel Gibsoon's movie "The Passion".... Correct me if I wrong: GG is a jesuit, isn't he?

[Modificato da @Nessuna@ 07/12/2005 4.33]

so many swoon-worthy pics and info here!!

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They've put together an animation of that nurse taking Papa in her arms [if that isn't too strong a term!]
The heading is: Who among us has not dreamed of doing this?

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But even if this dream came true, don't forget, you have to leave him again.....and I don't think that I could do this then.

"Looks like that Mary and her friend, Pooh Bear!"
"Yes! Just wanted to drop in and say thank you for such a beautiful Mass this morning......with a hug!"

Heck, Teresa, I think it's great that they called the DVD
"Bene-Detto" Go for it!
It shows that we aren't so mad after all.....or, even if we are, at least we are not alone!!!!! Why should we have to weigh up every word? - Papa knows we love him!
Nice photo of the cover. I've ordered it, of course....released today, I think!
Herzliche Gruesse!
Mary x

i just love the above piccie of Papa looking up!!!
yoohoo,PApa im here!!!!

I quote here the start of an article by the BBC's Rome correspondent to show just how ignorant, or deliberately misleading, the reporting can be about the Churhch and the Pope.

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Vatican marks Council anniversary
By David Willey
BBC News, Rome

The anniversary coincided with the day of the Immaculate Conception. Pope Benedict XVI has led ceremonies marking 40 years since the end of the Second Vatican Council - which opened up new dialogue with other religions.

The Pope attended the 1965 Council as an up-and-coming young German theologian who supported the reforms decided upon by bishops of his Church.

Among them was the virtual abandonment of the Latin mass and the introduction of vernacular languages.

They also included bringing guitar and folk songs into church liturgy.

Forty years later, having risen to the summit of his church, Pope Benedict had time to question whether the interpretation of some of these reforms may have been too liberal.

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One would think from Mr. Willey's cavalier "summation" of Vatican-II that the "reforms" young Joseph Ratzinger supported were the blatant misrepresentations of Vatican-II that Mr. Willey cites as said "reforms"!

Any remaining shred of tolerance I had for the BBC - already below absolute zero since their deliberate misrepresentations of the Iraq war - has gone!

The BBC is run by a leftist cabal - it always has been, but in more recent years has had overt ties to the British Labour Party. A recent director general was in fact a pal of Tony Blair and a Labour supporter - totally jepardising the neutral mandate that this publicly funded organisation has. Not everyone who works for the 'Beeb' is like this, but most of them are, since job vacancies are always advertised in the left wing 'Guardian' newspaper.

I couldn't stop laughing after reading the bit about guitar and folk music as one of the main achievements of Vaticanum II.
What an idiot.....

Paparaxvi contributes this gag to the saga:
(NB: All Italian spelling is in Ratzitaliano!)


"Uhm,ke strano...La luce in mia kamera è accesa...Eppure io rikorda di avere spento!"
("How strange!...The lights are on in my room...But I recall switching them off!")


"Fedo ombre dietro tenta...Oh,ma sì!Sono suore di sante kokkole!Aspettano me!!"
("I see shadows behind the curtain...Oh, but of course! Its the sisters Sante Coccole! They're waiting for me!")


"Ehm...skusate,cente,io saluta!Io antare!Ehm..io rikorda ora krande impegno in...ehm...in palazzo apostoliko!"
("Ehm...Excuse me, gentlemen, I must say goodbye. I have to go.
Ehm...I just remembered I have an important appointment at the...ehm...Apostolic Palace.")

oooooooooooooooooh ooch! My sides hurt from laughing!!!

WATCH OUT, SISTERS


Maryjos is going to be soooo jealous if the Sisters have such a close relationship with Papa that he is seeking out their company while all the rest of us must brave the Vatican dungeon on the mere chance of a charitable visit by him to the prisoners.

How sweet these comments are, the italian girls have a good sense of humour.

But obviously Papa is really looking forward to this appointment, did you see the smile on his face?

Oh what a wonderful dream......can you imagine......

[C]Our indefatigable friend from France, Sylvie, is running on all cylinders today. Besides her must-read account (See Papal Events thread) of how the nuns of Rome reacted to the Pope yesterday, she also came up with verses for Papa, which I have translated herewith-[/C]
--------------------------------------------------------------

Sometimes I look at the other cardinals and wonder-
And if it had been him who was elected?
I like some of them, yes, and very much -
But no one else has the look HE has -
and everything behind that look!

John Paul II must be very pleased:
If he had pushed a little up there
so that his friend would be the choice -
then he succeeded, very well indeed.

The world has its share
of men who look good,
of men who are good,
of men who are brilliant,
entertaining, passionate.
But all these virtues in one man -
that's too much to ask, I find.

He is not human, I think -
The Holy Spirit dwells in him.
In ancient Rome they would have said
he is a demi-god, in whom
beauty and all other divine graces
are manifest in human guise.

And apart from the fact he is beyond reach
and that he is not immortal -
I find no fault in him.

How very moving those verses are! It's what I also feel, but would not have been able to write. I've often thought Papa is like some Greek god [note the small g - don't want to be blasphemous]. He looked like one in that 1972 photo from Colombia and he still does.....it's remarkable, amazing....he is perfection.
Dear John Paul, you wanted it to be him, didn't you! You asked God and he answered; God asked Joseph Ratzinger and he said "Yes!"
And now........he is ours!!!!!!
VIVA IL PAPA BENEDICT XVI! Love you, Papa!

Love, Mary x

Yes, benefan, Teresa Benedetta, Jil, Nan and everyone...the only thing for it is to join the Sisters! United we stand and all that!!!!
So....next time there will be more of us lurking behind the curtains in the Papal apartment.
"Bo! Sorry, Monsignor Gaenswein, it's not you we're here to see. It's actually......your, um, "Boss".....Papa. Lead us to him - we outnumber you!"
Dear lil Georg....you're very handsome, but.................
PAPA =

Love, Mary x

[Modificato da maryjos 11/12/2005 23.34]

Hey, I'm willing... but are the Sisters ready for us ???

Holy Father, we think that Maryjos woman is lurking around the corner. We better leave through the back door.

[Modificato da benefan 12/12/2005 4.49]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo... LOL

can i also join the Sisters?

GG: Mary jos again! I think that the only solution will be to get her a private audience with the Pope. ......