Pope knocked down by woman
December 25, 2009
A woman who appeared to be in a questionable mental state is being interviewed by Vatican police after knocking over the Pope. The unidentified woman managed to vault over barriers and tackle Pope Benedict XVI to the floor along with Cardinal Roger Etchegaray who was whisked of to a nearby hospital. Spokesman for the Vatican, Ciro Benedettini said that the pope managed to pick himself up and was unhurt by the incident.
The Pope managed to continue to walk to the Basilica accompanied by applause from the crowd. He also managed to deliver his Christmas Eve homily in which he did not comment on the earlier attack but did speak out against the sin of selfishness. He said that by being self interested we distance ourselves from one another as well as from the truth.
The Christmas Eve speech was conducted by his holiness two hours before it usually goes out because of the Pope’s age, officials said. The Pope did not speak at midnight because he needed his rest at a time when he has numerous tiring commitments.
Although the actual attack has not been captured by television cameras there is footage of the Pope’s body guards rushing to his aid and a plastic chair rocketing into the air. Last year a woman also tried to attack the pontiff after he had delivered Mass on Christmas Eve. The woman managed to get over the barriers protecting the Pope but was stopped by security before she was able to make contact. Benedettini was unable to confirm whether or not it was that same woman.
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