Would a Pope receive military burial honors?

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LotusCarsLtd

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I think this fits in this subforum…let’s assume that there is, some day, an American Pope who used to be, for the sake of example, a retired member of the US Armed Forces. When this Pope dies, would he:
  1. Be privy to US military burial honors despite being Pope?
  2. If so, do you think it would be allowed if the Pope were to request it for his funeral (in addition to the normal Papal burial traditions)? And,
  3. Would it be appropriate?
Pax!
 
LotusCarsLtd said:
I think this fits in this subforum…let’s assume that there is, some day, an American Pope who used to be, for the sake of example, a retired member of the US Armed Forces. When this Pope dies, would he:
  1. Be privy to US military burial honors despite being Pope?
  2. If so, do you think it would be allowed if the Pope were to request it for his funeral (in addition to the normal Papal burial traditions)? And,
  3. Would it be appropriate?
Pax!
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  1. Yes
  2. Yes
  3. Yes
Yet this will never happen because there will never (or at least in the very distant future) be an American pope.
 
I wouldn’t see a problem with it. If he served his nation and Church well and asked that he have both a military and papal funeral/burial, I am sure the Church and the nation in which he came from would work to make this happen.

Love and service of country doesn’t interfere with Catholicism, so there isn’t a reason not to. There are many great and honorable Catholics who have died for their country and rightly deserve military burial honors. If these thousands of Catholics can get a military burial for serving their country well, why can’t a Pope who did the same?
 
But remember the Pope is head of state of another country - the Vatican. I don’t think he’d even still be an American citizen. If he weren’t, would it make a difference?
 
Young_Thinker said:
Never say never!
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I heard that the Archbishop Bergoglio (of Argentina) was the second most voted Cardinal in the last election. So we might have an American pope if we use the traditional meaning of the word American. If he were ever to become pope, it would be very exciting, as we would have a chemist (like myself) as a pope!
 
Saint_Macarius said:
I heard that the Archbishop Bergoglio (of Argentina) was the second most voted Cardinal in the last election. So we might have an American pope if we use the traditional meaning of the word American. If he were ever to become pope, it would be very exciting, as we would have a chemist (like myself) as a pope!
Click to expand...
That is very interesting.
 
LilyM said:
But remember the Pope is head of state of another country - the Vatican. I don’t think he’d even still be an American citizen. If he weren’t, would it make a difference?
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I would have to agree with this concern - how could the Head of State of a foreign country retain American citizenship? And as far as the OP’s questions, I would think No, Inconceivable, and No. Certainly there would be the citizenship issue, and then - what kind of image would result from a contemporary militaristic image at the funeral of the Universal Pastor? An American flag on the papal casket? A 21-gun volley in St. Peter’s Square? I think the old tag line from the Hebrew National hot dog commercials serves here: As Pope and Universal Pastor, he would report to a “Higher Authority.” It’s not an issue of “love of country” or diminishing the value of serving one’s (in this case) “former country.” But a Pope just isn’t like any other veteran, however honorably he may have served in a “prior life.” John XXIII as Angelo Roncalli was a chaplain in the Italian army, and I don’t recall that figuring in his funeral.
 
Saint_Macarius said:
I heard that the Archbishop Bergoglio (of Argentina) was the second most voted Cardinal in the last election. So we might have an American pope if we use the traditional meaning of the word American. If he were ever to become pope, it would be very exciting, as we would have a chemist (like myself) as a pope!
Click to expand...
Psh! Argentines don’t count. They’re just Italians who speak Spanish, anyway 😛
 
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