Isn't this what started the reformation? Pay to have your rosary blessed by the Pope.

[Pab Sungenis]

Looking for Christmas gifts for a very devout friend (as compared to me, the semi-devout friend), I happened upon http://www.vaticangift.com/index.html?target=rosaries.html where they had this special announcement:

"On request our Rosaries and Religious Gifts may be Blessed after purchase by His Holiness Benedict XVI during the General Audience. They represents a gift full of meaning for those who lives in Christ."

So, let me get this straight. The Pope is now blessing items...for a fee! This smacks me as just an updated version of the old practice of selling indulgences.

Does this make it official? No matter what denomination you are, salvation is available for a small fee?

[hlthe2b]

1. Jeebus...

Why would anyone want Ratzinger to paw their property..? At least if you sell your soul to the devil, you get something in return...:eyes:

Sorry, my Catholic Colleagues, but I will never accept Ratzinger as anything other than what he is... and it surely isn't "holy father," IMO. In fact, I get some of the same horrendous vibes when I look at him, as I do looking at Cheney... Just my firm opinion, of course.. your Rosary beads may vary.

[Counciltucky]

2. Well to be fair...

Marriage annulments have been around for a nominal fee for quite a while as well. It's basically the same concept, and both smack of hypocrisy.

[pnwmom]

10. This is a gift shop that uses the word Vatican, not part of the Catholic Church.

They say on another page that they're located near the Vatican and will be happy to carry any religious items purchased there to be blessed by the Pope in his general audience.


Anyone could do that. This gift store is just saying this as part of its sales pitch.

[BuyingThyme]

3. They represents a gift for those who lives in Christ?

Is this some kind of religious codespeak?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

4. Wherfore art thou, Marty Luther?

Good Old Martin Luther

I love Martin Luther,
Good old Martin Luther,
I think the Reformation's grand,
His five and ninety theses,
They tore the Pope to pieces.
And now on the solid rock I stand.

[pnwmom]

11. This is a GIFT SHOP, that chooses to call itself "Vatican Gifts"

because it's located near Vatican City and sells religious stuff.

They're trying to trade on the fact that anyone -- including them -- can go to a General Audience and get a cross blessed. For free.

[Cerridwen]

5. The sale of indulgences...

took me a minute to remember the word; here's a bit on the practice and Luther's response

indulgence: a pardon for certain types of sin that was sold by the Catholic Church in the late medieval period. The sale of indulgences motivated Martin Luther to post the "95 Theses."

<snip>

Although reformers had many complaints about the Catholic Church of the sixteenth century, the practice of selling "indulgences" raised the most opposition. An indulgence was a payment to the Catholic Church that purchased an exemption from punishment (penance) for some types of sins. You could not get an indulgence that would excuse a murder, but you could get one for many lesser sins. The customers were Catholic believers who feared that some sins might go unnoticed or unconfessed. link

[pnwmom]

15. Is a sorry part of the Church's history -- and it is HISTORY.

This is just an unrelated gift shop trying to make some money.

[madrchsod]

6. god help us all with this fool leading the "church"

he refuses to carry on the last popes mission and he has fuck`d up everything the last pope did ...heck of a job ratboy,jesus must be real proud of you

[pnwmom]

12. I don't like him either, but this has NOTHING to do with him.

It's just a gift shop with the word "Vatican" in its name. According to the website, it's located conveniently near Vatican City. And if someone purchases an item from them, they claim they will personally carry it to the General Audience and get it blessed.

Which anyone can do with a religious item, old or new, purchased anywhere, -- for free.

[madrchsod]

19. thanks for the clarification

but i still do not like him at all.

[Nikki Stone1]

7. To be fair, the text says that the items may be blessed "after purchase"

meaning that the price is that of the item, not any blessing. If there is more to this, then let me know.

I'm no fan of Ratzinger and REFUSE to call him Benedict. I miss John Paul, and while he was misguided in some areas, the man really did have a good heart and a true mission. Ratzinger reminds me of Karl Rove for some reason. I simply don't trust the man at all.

[pnwmom]

14. You're right. It's just a gift shop near the Vatican, according to its

website, and they claim they will personally take the item to a General Audience for a blessing.

Which they acknowledge is freely available.

[Nikki Stone1]

18. I figured it had to be something like that.

Catholics can get anything blessed by a priest, though religious items (like crucifixes) carry more "power" (from what I have been told.) A church near my house will even bless your cats and dogs on the Feast of St Francis, and they don't charge you. (You are expected to curb your dog, though)

[pnwmom]

8. You may be reading more into that than is really there.

I'm just guessing, but I bet that in his general audience he's willing to bless any crosses or religious items that people bring. The Pope doesn't charge for his blessings.

[JVS]

9. This isn't so new. If you buy and wear the $6 brown scapular you can't go to hell

http://www.catholiccompany.com/product_detail.cfm?ID=3022



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapular#Specific_scapulae

[pnwmom]

13. That's just a company making money off gullible people.

That store isn't associated with the Catholic Church.

[Bucky]

17. Your point being that *no* *way* would a church make money off gullible people?

Not in this country, any way.

[JVS]

21. the people selling the item are a store, but the scapular promise appears...

in many website of people who are affiliated with the church.

http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/brown_scapular.htm

Here is a Priest writing about it
http://www.ewtn.com/library/SCRIPTUR/SCAPULAR.TXT

Or here is from the Catholic Encyclopedia
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13508b.htm
"C. The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Also known as the Brown Scapular, this is the best known, most celebrated, and most widespread of the small scapulars. It is spoken of as "the Scapular", and the "feast of the Scapular" is that of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on 16 July. It is probably the oldest scapular and served as the prototype of the others. According to a pious tradition the Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Simon Stock at Cambridge, England, on Sunday, 16 July, 1251. In answer to his appeal for help for his oppressed order, she appeared to him with a scapular in her hand and said: "Take, beloved son this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of the covenant"."

[Bucky]

16. To be fair, I don't think a blessed religious gift is a promise to get out of purgatory

Indulgences were good for avoiding purgatory, not hell. I don't see that particular promise associated with this gift item which, obviously, ought to sell for something. Besides, I'm not too sure us Protestants are exactly innocent of hinting at salvation thru monetary donations these days ourselves.

[rug]

20. Not to piss on your pitchfork, but it's a scam.

2121 Simony is defined as the buying or selling of spiritual things.53 To Simon the magician, who wanted to buy the spiritual power he saw at work in the apostles, St. Peter responded: "Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God's gift with money!"54 Peter thus held to the words of Jesus: "You received without pay, give without pay."55 It is impossible to appropriate to oneself spiritual goods and behave toward them as their owner or master, for they have their source in God. One can receive them only from him, without payment.

- Catechism of the Catholic Church