Dear John & Doves,
I know you must have heard about Pope John Paul II kissing the Muslim Koran during the interreligious meeting in Jerusalem, but did you know that "when a Rabbi handed him a beautiful white and gold Hebrew Bible, he did not kiss it." That's what it says in this article at http://newsletters.cephasministry.com/4_00_pope_in_israel.html The article states, "When Pope John Paul arrived in Jerusalem the Jews as appropriate for his visits gave him a gift. I have pictures of the pope kissing the Koran, the Muslim Bible. When a Rabbi handed him the beautiful white and gold Hebrew Bible, I expected him to do the same, but he did not kiss it." The Hebrew Bible would be the books of the Old Testament which were inspired by the Holy Spirit. However, the Muslim Koran wasn't.
Did you know that at the Grotto of the Nativity that there is a cross and bones seal on the manger? That was a surprise to me as well. This same article states, "The Grotto of the Nativity is kept up by a number of different Christians. Armenium Diversity of Faith takes care of the Grotto of St. Jerome. The Bible was supposed to have been translated from Greek and Hebrew to Latin Vulgate 386 - 404 and they said that Catholics gave us the Bible. What was shocking to me, when Pope John Paul II kneeled in front of the manger the narrator said that there was a skull and bones seal on the manger. In their explanation they said it reflects the universal death Adam became responsible for. That was as far from the truth as heaven is from hell."
"In Masonry this symbol is used in their ritual and seen on Hiram's coffin. The history of the skull and crossbones goes back to 1307 and the overthrow of the Knights Templar by King Philip and Pope Clement V. When they arrested the Templars they found a large silver bust in shape of a womans' head. and inside were two head bones wrapped in a white and red cloth. She was a small woman and evidently the object of worship as well as the famous Shroud of Turin. The shroud was in possession of the Templars between 1201 and 1307."
"If you have ever seen an image of the shroud you know that not only the face of Jesus but also the body impressions are on this shroud. That being the case, it could not be Jesus's burial clothes because the Bible states in John 20:4-7 "So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself." These verses clearly state that Jesus' head had been covered with a different piece of material than the rest of His body."
You may want to read the entire article for yourself at the above link.
I also read an article yesterday at http://www.newswithviews.com/NWVexclusive/exclusive96.htm that the coffin of Pope Pius XI contained a skull & crossbones which again is a Masonic symbol. That information is down toward the bottom of that article.
Also prior to the Pope's death, I heard a Catholic spokesman on TV say that "our suffering and the Pope's suffering is for the salvation of the world" when our Lord Jesus Christ was the only one that suffered and died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. There is nothing in the Bible about our or the Pope's suffering being for the salvation of the world. Later after the Pope's death, I then heard another Catholic say on TV that they would now be praying to the Pope in heaven who intercedes for us. Both Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25 tells us that Jesus Christ makes intercession for us. In fact Hebrew 7:25 says "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing that he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only intercessor that I will ever need.
God bless,
Donna