An interesting tidbit at the end of Catholic News Service's story today about Pope Benedict XVI's general audience:
Just before the pope began speaking, a man in the audience began shouting "abortion" and yelled for the pope to "excommunicate Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden," respectively the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and the vice president of the United States.
The man was escorted out of St. Peter's Square by Vatican security. Because he was not arrested, the Vatican refused to release his name.
Strong emotions about the health care debate have jumped the Atlantic. I bet the pope is not used to being heckled by people demanding that he excommunicate Catholic politicians. I wonder if this is just an "outlier" event, or if we'll continue to see this kind of intensity build.
CNS photo: Unidentified man shouts at pope "excommunicate Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden" in St. Peter's Sq.
