Hugh Hewitt just remarked on his show that the AP is reporting that Pope John Paul II has received “last rights”.

“The medical situation is being strictly controlled by the Vatican medical team that is taking care of him,” he said.

Italian media said there were unconfirmed reports John Paul had received the sacrament of the anointing of the sick – what used to be called the last rites or extreme unction – but Vatican officials could not be reached for comment.

The sacrament is often misunderstood as signaling imminent death. But it is performed not only for patients at the point of death, but also those facing grave illness or a serious operation – and it may be repeated.

First Terri, now possibly John Paul. What a truly cosmic day this is becoming . . . Hugh writes:

It is a very serious day, and deserves serious thought from serious people. The alarming news about the Pope underscores that sense that not just America but the world is thinking about the value of life today.

Updates if/when . . . (db)

[Update: 4:35pm PST]
Hugh has just announced that the streets around the Vatican have been roped off and traffic into the area is being diverted. Hugh’s guest, David Allen White, Shakespeare and classical music scholar from the U.S. Naval Academy has just remarked that in considering it is possible that both Terri Schiavo and the Pope might die on the same day is no coincidence, as it has been said, there are no coincidences.

[Update: 8:23pm PST]
MSNBC and the AP report that Pope John Paul is responding to the antibiotics treatments. No other reports are expected until in the AM.

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