Pope and thurible

https://transculturalexchange.org/e6z6j38umjq

Continuing a week of posting oddities, here is a short video of the Pope filling the largest thurible in the world, the one at Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Now one may wonder, given Father Orthoduck’s postings about odd accidents lately, whether there have even been accidents with this thurible, and the answer is, “yes.” Here is a quote that speaks to the accidents that have happened with this thurible.

There have been a number of accidents that occurred during the swinging of the Botafumeiro over the years. Apparently at one time, the Botafumeiro was attached to the rope with a hook which sometimes became disconnected. One of the most renowned accidents took place during a visit of Princess Catherine of Aragon. She was on a journey to marry the heir to the English throne in 1499 and stopped by the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. While it was being swung, the Botafumeiro flew out of the cathedral through the Platerias high window. No one was reported to have been injured on this occasion. The ropes and other devices securing the Botafumeiro have also failed on May 23, 1622, and more recently in 1925 and July 1937. In 1622, the Botafumeiro fell at the feet of the tiraboleiros. In July 1937, the cords holding the Botafumeiro failed again, and hot coals were spilled on the ground. Current procedure is to attach the rope to the Botafumeiro with a set of “sailor’s knots”.

https://udaan.org/e3m7co4.php

https://sugandhmalhotra.com/2024/08/07/fbnp2kik1n So, be grateful that your priest uses a small thurible, but make sure to duck if he gets too enthusiastic!