Does anyone know if this is true?

[Ron G.]

As I am now understanding it, Cardinal Ratzinger was actually NOT the

church's first choice to replace Pope John Paul: their first pick,

interestingly enough, was Cardinal Hans Grapje.

Grapje was raised in a Catholic school in The Hague and, as a young man,

aspired to become a priest, but was drafted into the Army during WWII and

spent years co-piloting B17s until his aircraft was shot down in 1943 and

he lost his left arm. Captain Grapje spent the rest of the war as a

chaplain giving spiritual aid to soldiers, both allied and enemy.

After the war, he became a priest, serving as a missionary in Africa,

piloting his own plane (in spite of his handicap) to villages across the

continent. In 1997, Father Grapje was serving in Zimbabwe when an

explosion in a silver mine caused a cave-in.

Archbishop Grapje went down into the mine to administer last rites to

those too severely injured to move. Another mine shaft collapsed and he

was buried for three days, suffering multiple injuries, including the

loss of his right eye. The high silver content in the mine's air gave

him purpura, a life-long condition characterized by purplish skin

blotches.

Although Cardinal Grapje devoted his life to the service of God as a

scholar, mentor, and holy man, church leaders felt he should never ascend

to the papacy:

They felt that the church would never accept a one-eyed, one-armed, flying purple papal leader!

[dmiller]

I think I've heard about this guy. Isn't he the one who tried to jump over a sleeping lion, while carrying sea gulls to feed to porpoises that could live forever?? -->

If I remember right -- he narrowly escaped multiple charges of:

Transporting gulls over a staid lion, for immortal porpoises. :D-->

[Steve!]

Ummm, this was already posted over in the "Music, Movies, and Humor" forum several days ago.

[GeorgeStGeorge]

Yeah. Deja vu!

George

[GeorgeStGeorge]

Yeah. Deja vu!

George

[lindyhopper]

Yes, Ron, actually it is true.