The Vatican announced today that blood taken from Pope John Paul II during his final hospitalization will be used as the official relic for veneration after he is beatified on Sunday.
In a statement, the Vatican said four small vials of blood had been taken from John Paul during his final days for a possible transfusion, but were never used. Two of the vials were given to John Paul's private secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, and another two remained at the Vatican's Bambin Gesu hospital in the care of nuns. One of the hospital vials will be placed in a reliquary and presented Sunday; the other will remain with the nuns.
Uhm... This is very awkward, but "small vials" of blood are drawn for lab tests and not typically saved for a number of years, unless one is to be beatified, apparently.
ReplyDeleteI'll make a note of it, and my minions can help themselves to the "transfusion" supply in the fridge.
KJ, you beat me to it. I thought transfusions came in pint bags. Of course, we could both be wrong. Perhaps the Vatican knows something we don't know.
ReplyDeleteAnd small vials are so easily misplaced. Maybe Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz still has his vials, but with a name pronounced Dizzywits, you never know.
WV: grave. A grave mistake surely on the part of the nuns.
We could be wrong, Mimi, and our humility, as evidenced by acknowledging this possibility may move us up in the beatification queue, so I hope you have your blood transfusion supply in order. Perhaps the Mad One could keep it in a safe place.
ReplyDeleteSister likes the blood! She really, really likes it!
ReplyDelete***
If you didn't see it last night, I heartily recommend the opening of last nights "Colbert Report".
Stephen, as you may recall, for Lent gave up . . . (Roman) Catholicism! But then he accidentally smelled some incense, and went on a Catholic bender. Go watch: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/382614/april-25-2011/catholic-bender?xrs=share_copy
KJ, I am so humble that I never dreamed I was in the beatification queue, but if you think it's possible, I'll get my vials in order.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about the Mad One as keeper of the vials. Perhaps you and I could exchange vials. I'll guard yours with my life, and I'll expect the same from you.
JCF, I'll go watch.
Actually, KJ, as you are generally regarded as a living saint, I might be able to flog your blood on eBay now, without you having to go through the inconvenience of dying first.
ReplyDeleteTom's a saint. I wouldn't mind a couple of pints of his blood to lay down as an investment.
ReplyDeleteTom's blood, after eating Mimi's jambalaya, I'm sure is an aphrodesiac.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I'm sure you can skip the blood filter, and go straight to the source.
JCF, you have that backwards. Mimi eats Tom's jambalaya. I gave up cooking, except on rare occasions. Besides, cooking jambalaya and gumbo were always Tom's jobs, even back in the day when I cooked the meals.
ReplyDeleteRE: dizzywits
ReplyDeleteI literally lol'd right here at my desk. hahaha
I'm still loling
ReplyDeleteTracie, my expert consultant on Polish names assured me that my pronunciation was correct.
ReplyDeleteWV: hoola!
Yuck.
ReplyDeleteI think we should all go back to the ancient belief that you have to be buried with all your body parts and bodily fluids in order to be whole for the afterlife. It would save much gruesome Catholic embarrassment.
:giggle:
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, Joe's no slouch on eastern European names either (even though his nan and great-nan were Prussian) and he agreed.
heeheehee...
Does KJ really have minions? ...
ReplyDeletewv - floyspit
Vials of floyspit would be more the thing. A floy is a sort of small dragon, if you didn't know.
Millions of minions.
ReplyDeleteWell, minion.
ReplyDeleteUgh.
ReplyDeleteRevolting.
I give myself two injections of Gila Monster spit every day, Cathy. Is that as good as floyspit?
ReplyDeleteBooCat, I'd say Gila Monster spit is even better than floyspit. For all we know, Cathy may have made up the floy dragon.
ReplyDeleteI stand corrected (but I'd rather EAT corrected! Tom's Jambalaya and Gumbo, Mmm-mmm-mmm!)
ReplyDeleteJCF, the gumbo and jambalaya are much better choices. Mmmm-mmmm, indeed.
ReplyDelete