For Catholics/Christians... what do you think about this? Act of nature or act of God?

PLEASE be respectful, I hate that religious discussions always turn into someone calling the other stupid.

"Just hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced his surprise resignation as pontiff, footage from Monday evening showed the top of St Peter's Basilica being struck by lightning during a severe thunderstorm over the Vatican.
The video clearly shows the sky being lit up as fork lightning dramatically strikes the top of the dome.

Pope Benedict sent shockwaves through the church on Monday when he announced he would stand down, the first pope to do so in 700 years, saying he no longer had the mental and physical strength to carry on."

Video: http://www.wcnc.com/video/featured-videos/Lightning-strikes-Vatican-church-hours-after-Pope-resignation-190903341.html

Off to google to see how often it happens...

DH believes it's a sign that he shouldn't resign.

Trippy..

If God caused lightening to strike the vatican, it wasn't because the Pope stepped down. LOL!
J/K
I'm sure it was just an act of nature. Lightening typically strikes the tallest thing in it's path and it happened to be the spire(or whatever) on top of the vatican.

Quoting MyPurrrtyBabies:" DH believes it's a sign that he shouldn't resign."

My dad (staunch Catholic and a bit of a conspiracy theorist) thinks Benedict knew about "something" approaching and doesn't want to be involved.

By something I think he means the apocalypse. My dad thinks it's near.

Haha I want to say it is an act of God just to be an ass that this pope is stepping down.

<blockquote><b>Quoting bbbt:</b>" My dad (staunch Catholic and a bit of a conspiracy theorist) thinks Benedict knew about "something" ... [snip!] ... approaching and doesn't want to be involved. By something I think he means the apocalypse. My dad thinks it's near. "</blockquote>


good ... its warm in Hell and im freezing all the time these days

Quoting Destiel:" <blockquote><b>Quoting bbbt:</b>" My dad (staunch Catholic and a bit of a conspiracy ... [snip!] ... apocalypse. My dad thinks it's near. "</blockquote> good ... its warm in Hell and im freezing all the time these days"

LOL. All the interesting people are in Hell.

Quoting bbbt:" My dad (staunch Catholic and a bit of a conspiracy theorist) thinks Benedict knew about "something" ... [snip!] ... approaching and doesn't want to be involved. By something I think he means the apocalypse. My dad thinks it's near. "

Ya know in this seriously crazy-twisted-weird-surprising world, you never know what's gonna happen and what's a "sign". I am not really sure what I think, I am a believer of God but Eh, just never know about these things. But my DH is pretty firm on believeing that it's a sign or something that the Pope shouldn't resign.

Quoting MyPurrrtyBabies:" Ya know in this seriously crazy-twisted-weird-surprising world, you never know what's gonna happen and ... [snip!] ... know about these things. But my DH is pretty firm on believeing that it's a sign or something that the Pope shouldn't resign."

I'm not Catholic and even I think it's weird and a huge "coincidence"!

http://www.t2ah.com/2013/02/the-pope-resigns-and-lightning-strikes.html?m=1

That didn't really make my thoughts any clearer. I never can decide about religious stuff, at all. That's why I'm agnostic (sort of, in a nutshell)

But, I read articles that speculated that he was stepping down because of infighting between Catholics, more conservative Catholics like him, and then less conservative Catholics who want to change a few things.

I'm not catholic, so I guess I don't see what the big deal about the pope resigning is in the first place... I'm a Christian, though. I just don't understand all that pope stuff. I grew up non-denominational. So I guess someone would have to explain it for me first.

Quoting Asher's mommy [Expecting :" I'm not catholic, so I guess I don't see what the big deal about the pope resigning is in the first place... ... [snip!] ... don't understand all that pope stuff. I grew up non-denominational. So I guess someone would have to explain it for me first. "

Well, no Pope has resigned in 700 years. It's pretty historical, Catholic or not.

Quoting P3RvYmCp3rv:" Haha I want to say it is an act of God just to be an ass that this pope is stepping down. "

I LOL'ed at this. Yeah, could be God is just pissed about the Pope stepping down ; maybe that's all it is.