Just hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced his intention to abdicate the Throne of St Peter, lightning struck the dome of the basilica.
“#PHOTO: Lightning strikes St Peter’s dome at #Vatican on day the #Pope announced resignation, by Filippo Monteforte pic.twitter.com/FehVjFYP”
Original source AFP(Agence France-Press):
https://twitter.com/AFP/status/301074815287193601
Some are taking this as a sign of God’s displeasure. After all, this whole ‘physical inadequacy’ excuse was tried by Moses a few millennia ago, and the Lord wasn’t overly pleased then, either.
His Grace is loath to disappoint, but lightning is produced quite naturally in thunderstorms when liquid and ice particles collide, causing a build-up of electrical fields within the clouds. Once these fields reach a critical level, a giant ‘spark’ occurs between them (or between them and the ground) rather like static electricity, reducing the charge separation. The lightning spark can occur between clouds, between the cloud and air, between the cloud and ground, or between the cloud and the dome of St Peter’s.
And if God were going to make a point, He probably wouldn’t aim for the lightning conductor.