I find this quite astounding.
Here is a Rome Reports snip on the plans for the American bishops to honour Pope Benedict on the 60th Anniversary of his priestly ordination. That’s pretty well par for the course, but the “astounding” thing is that this snip is actually film footage OF Joseph Ratzinger’s priestly ordination in 1951. Today we take for granted the fact that ordinations are filmed and every priest has footage of his own ordination. But was that usual in the early 50’s?
Given the happy fact therefore that Ratzinger’s ordination was recorded for the sake of posterity (surely the first film footage we have of the priestly ordination of a future pope), it is even more astounding that, during the procession of newly ordained priests, the camera actually zooms in and follows Ratzinger in the group. It’s like someone back then knew that this footage would be historically significant at some stage in the future.
Astounding. Even perhaps a little spooky.
I once heard another spooky Papal story – on St Therese of Lisieux deathbed’s she stated she would visit the cradles of all newborns when she enters Heaven and give a special blessing.
Then I look up the birthdate of Pope Paul VI and it was within the same week of the great Saint’s death.
Spooky !!! I like that David. Perhaps it was just divine intervention through the hand of the person filming for posterity. Little like John Paul II saying after his own assassination attempt in 1981 that Mary guided the bullet so that it did not kill him.
But Ratzinger certainly looks very thin in the film.; Must have been the German seminary diet!!
Adam
It is probable that the film was much longer and the bits which featured Ratzinger clearly were put together for this report.
On 29 June this year we have more reason than ever to sing Cardinal Wiseman’s splendid hymn “Full in the Panting Heart of Rome”. I think it was Fr Finigan who pointed out that the last verse, alluding to the electric telegraph, could equally apply to the internet:
For like the sparks of unseen fire
That speak along the magic wire,
From home to home, from heart to heart,
These words of countless children dart.
God bless our Pope, the great, the good!