I heard this at the time and thought this myself back then when the video was realeased. But after watching it a few times I am convinced that there were Bishops refusing to shake the Pontiff's hand. Watch it again and see. To me this is prearranged they seem to have a formal signal in declining. They hold both hands up in the air, put them together and take one step backwards, like a little dance. There are cold looks given too.
Obviously they refused him. It's not like he didn't have his hand extended to each. And they're probably busy preaching some kind of generalized idea of "charity" to the flock. It's everywhere exposed now.
Well at the time I first saw it, this backs a while, I thought they were refusing. Then I read the counter articles from Germany making excuses so I believed this. But now after all that has happened I have no doubt they were snubbing the poor guy. It all sits with the vidence outside the video. But I guess the Truth, as is so often the case, lies in the eyes of the beholder. That's what I see anyway.
At around 37 seconds Bishop Woelki leans forward to shake Benedict's hand, looks unsure, then looks reassured and shakes his hand. I think it's pretty clear that Benedict is introducing the guy in front of him and not really trying to shake people's hands. It is regrettably awkward.
It iocurs to me that there is one way you could be sure one way or the other, if you had the time. That is to look at the faces of the Bishops who did not shake Bendiect's hand. Find out their names and then check them against the people who have plunged into Apostasy in Germany during the reign of Pope Francis. If they are the smae people; then you know..if not..not. Otherwise like I say it is in the eye of the beholder.
Yeah, it could be interpreted either way. One of the reasons why I noticed Woelki is because he's ultra liberal. I remembered him from something Oakes Spalding wrote a while ago at Mahound's Paradise. Cologne is one of the cities I'm thinking of moving to, too. Kasper also gleefully shook Benedict's hand so it'll be hard to find a correlation, probably. https://mahoundsparadise.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-archbishop-of-cologne-is-smirking.html
If you have family and can't get out of there quick I would not go there. If ever there was a country in the world that is going to get zapped big time it is Germany.
that's the main reason I feel like I need to go. I'm mainly German ethnically and feel like I have to do something.
I find it odd that their hands went up and are folded on their chests That’s weird That to me is body language that says no, don’t touch me But that’s just one way to look at it
Just an opinion since I was not old enough to attend a Latin mass.....the wide spread cultural changes in the 60's till today was going to mean a massive drop in faith and church attendance even if the mass stayed the same. I don't think it's fair or correct to associate mass attendance drops with vat 2 reforms. It could be argued mass attendance would even be less had the changes, especially the language not been made. For me personally, a latin mass would be interesting to attend but I don't believe it would add anything more than our current mass has. Having said that I feel bless that we have a very holy priest, our church encourages communion on the tongue, but hand is ok, we can receive the body and blood every mass, only priests or deacons distribute communion except in very rare cases when only the priest is present and communion would take far too long with one server.(can't remember the last time I saw a lay server). We also have a 24 hour adoration chapel open for the last 15 years.
So Benedict simply didn't know just which of the prelates were "permitted" to shake his hand???? And then, good grief, beyond any protocol, if the Pope extends his hand (and being filmed) to you do you not even think about basic charity and reply to his gesture with acceptance? Even the queen gets a response if she should offer a hand when protocol says you don't touch the queen!!!
This is one of those areas where it is impossible to know for sure and you are correct , societal norms are straight out of the pits of hell. Good point and you are blessed.
Is it wrong to want to punch those Bishops on the nose who were so bad mannered as not to shake Pope Benedict's hand? I can stand a lot of things but for some reason I really hate bad-manners. I mean a short 6 inch punch that would not knock them out but just bloody their nose?
I would be grimacing on the inside, but if I was in Pope Francis' presence and he offered me a hand to shake I still would out of respect for the office. In fact, I would probably have the automatic reaction of bending down to kiss the papal ring out of respect for the papacy. What the cardinals did (it is my opinion that the cardinals snubbed the Pope. I've seen the video many times myself and am convinced by the body language) is scandalous and so unbecoming of princes of the Church to behave towards their earthly father.
I don't think poor Pope Bendict was the punching kind. It might have been much better all around if he had been. Pope St Pius X knew how to throw a punch though. One time as a Parish Priest he had a fist fight with some Free Masons at a Anti Catholic Demonstration and did quite well I hear. Bless him, dear man. Reminds me of Don Camillo, whom I love.
