Holy Week Threats

Pope To Keep A Full Holy Week Schedule

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II will keep a full Holy Week schedule, including Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square and a Good Friday appearance at the Colosseum, the Vatican said Tuesday, dismissing reports the pontiff had been urged to wear a bulletproof vest under his vestments while in public.

I've heard- mostly on Fox News- that the Vatican has received threats not only from Islamic Extremists, but from other "Unnamed Sources". Could these threats have something to do with the "False Death" and subsequent "False Burial" I've been reading about on end time websites? I'd love to hear some other opinions on this, besides Fox News and my Holy Roller Next Door Neighboors.

I think that the possibility of an attack on the Vatican is certainly something the Al Queda would like to see. Whether they succeed, or not, is another matter. From my pitiful understanding, Al Queda sees the "war of terror" as a reassertion of the Muslim religion and way of life. For example, it's interesting that they hit Spain....there's a long view of history in which fanatic Muslims still have not forgotten, or forgiven, the Muslim expulsion for Spain. Certainly, I would think, that a fanatic Muslim would see all Christianity as a monolith and not distinguish between denominations. Thus, they would see the Catholic Church as representative of all Christianity and all that they perceive, rightly or wrongly, that Christianity has done to them. The original source of trouble was between the Muslim world and the pre-Reformation Catholic world. So, I would assume, there is great hatred for the Pope and all he represents.
Would the Pope wear a bulletproof vest? I don't think so. He seems to have a fatalistic view of life and of history and would think that, whatever might happen to him, would be part of God's plan. I do think that his security people WILL take extraordinary steps during Holy Week....not only to protect the pontiff, but the thousands of Catholics who will be in Rome on pilgrimage.
Frankly, I will be glad when Holy Week passes. No concrete evidence on my part, just an uneasiness. Perhaps it's because the symbolism is just so great that I can see that terrorists would want to use the Vatican and the Pope as symbols.
As for the "end times" prophecies, I've read a thousand of them and am convinced that no one has a clue what will really happen or if it will happen as people have interpreted the "end times".
Not much of an answer to your post, but my two cents.
joey

I agree. I don't think anyone knows when the end times will be- seeing as how a lot of folks thought WWII was the end, but we're still here.

I don't think the pope will wear the vest, either, because of your reasoning- whatever happens, at least in his eyes, is all in gods hands.