Mystery of Pope's night-time visits to his old haunts

[emad]

By Hilary Clarke in Rome
(Filed: 14/01/2006)

The Vatican, citadel of secrets and intrigue, has thrown up another little mystery: what has the Pope been doing on a spate of night-time missions to his old cardinal lodgings?

Over the past few weeks, the German pontiff has been seen sneaking back to his old room outside the Vatican walls three times, La Stampa reported yesterday.

At about 9pm a plain, dark car carrying 78-year-old Pope Benedict and his private secretary, Don Georg Gaenswein, swirls out of a side door of Vatican city. It then doubles round in the back streets before arriving at 1 Piazza Citta Leonina, a hall of residence for senior Church figures and the Pope's home as a cardinal for almost 24 years.

A Vatican security guard is always waiting in front of the apartments in a pedestrian zone tucked behind St Peter's Square. The Pope gets out of the car disguised in the plain black priest's robes he wore when he was the Catholic Church's senior theologian.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/14/wpope14.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/01/14/ixworld.html



VIA DOLOROSA red light district?

[Gatchaman]

1. It can be only one thing

hot gay sex.

[boobooday]

2. Disco Dancing?

These guys are obviously having a hard time giving up their old lifestyle of hard partying and late nights at the club. And who can blame them?

He goes back to his old room, changes into some sequins and platform shoes, and then . . . it's time to DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY!

Call up the Cardinal, the Cardinal hollas back! Shake that holy thang!

WWJD
(Where Would Jesus Dance?)

Sorry, a LOT of coffee this morning . . . :bounce:

[hippiechick]

3. ... he's just lookin for some good, late night Chinese take out ...

:rofl:

[Inland]

4. Kabine für das Erstechen

Old house is his stabbin' cabin.

[kedrys]

5. They wouldn't let him take his cat into the Vatican

Methinks he goes back to visit. :P

[meow2u3]

8. He might be going to feed his kitties

eom

[Tummler]

21. I'll third that suggestion

Ratzinger loves cats, and I recall reading that pets are not allowed in the official Papal residence.

[xchrom]

6. this is one strange pope.

[Karmakaze]

9. Strange?

Looking at this picture:



I would say down-right CREEPY. John Paul at least looked like what I think of when I think Pope - a kindly old grandfather. This guy makes me think "pervert" when I see him.

[Marie26]

15. Creeps me out too.

I was so disappointed when he was selected. In addition to the Nazi youth group, he was also instrumental in suppressing dissent from "intellectual" clergy, and covering up the sexual abuses by priests in the US. It's hard to imagine a worse choice for a Pope that's supposed to be a model of morality. But whatever.

[Karmakaze]

16. Yeah, I know...

if it was just the way he looked, I would never have said it. But seeing that photo (with that very Bushian smirk) AND having knowledge of those past deeds just SCREAMS "Pervert!" at me. Now stories of sneaking back to his old flat in disguise, well let's just say my suspicions are aroused...

If it was just an innocent thing, why the disguise?

[GrpCaptMandrake]

7. He goes back to queitly

dress up in his old Hitler Youth Lederhosen and sing "Springtime For Hitler" while watching his cherished old Leni Riefenstahl collection.

[PATRICK]

10. Well the important question

would be if anyone else was there as well. If the stakeout presumably saw no "others" then we have a real mystery beyond the realms of most speculation, even that ridiculous cover of nostalgia reflection that is "speculatively" put forth for the really stupid.

The more power trips and games he does and the more Bush draws him back into fighting against war(fingers crossed) the better if it keeps him from doing a number on the Church.

Secrecy is never healthy and is nearly always more objectionable in our Church. Anything outside the confessional should be wide open and the forays into secret diplomacy are also not the only things the church could do for world peace.

[boilinmad]

11. PAT ROBERTSON...

has been using up all of Gods talk time, and the pope has only a small window of opportunity for conversation, 9 to 9:15 !!!!!!

[carolinalady]

12. not to mention when Shrub gets his divine time! LOL

[txindy]

13. Going back to visit his Hitler Youth memorabilia?

Pope Nazi.
I'm so proud.

[Poppyseedman]

14. Separated At Birth

[txindy]

18. Have you ever seen them both at the same time?

Just sayin'.

[SpiralHawk]

17. He goes down into the Catacombs, and finds where the secret chamber

connects to the Skull & Boner krypt, where he meets his buddy, George AWOL Temporary Bush.

[UTUSN]

19. Visiting a left-behind altar boy?

[phoebe]

20. now THAT's crreeeeepy!!!

n/t