Pope attacked at Christmas service

I read "Pope attacked at Christmas service" by weekly ST World News online.


a. The words I did not know.

1)attacked

Sentence:
Pope attacked at Christmas service

Definition:
to deliberately use violence to hurt a person or damage a place:

Synonyms:
bruise, touch; hit; offense;

Comment:
I think this title should be "Pope was attacked at Christmas service". Is my thinking wrong?


2)Mass

Sentence:
A woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter's Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI at the start of Christmas Eve Mass, but the 82-year-old pontiff was unhurt and proceeded as planned with the service.

Definition:
the celebration of the Christian Eucharist, especially in the Roman Catholic Church

Synonyms:
Mass is "missa" in Latin



c. Comments about the news.
The reason of I pick up this news are three. First is "Pope" interest me. Second is my misunderstanding which I thought this was a kind of riot. Last is wrongly written character in Japanese. The last of the news page, there are Japanese title and one sentence. I found the mistake with title, then I thought "Is this site OK?" This is just joke.

I am an atheist, I don't have faith, so maybe I am charmed by religious things. I think that my this feeling resemble that Japanese people long for the West or a part of people who like the mysteries of the Orient.

I can't understand thinking of faith. I want to know what unshaken faith is. Pope is just a human for me, but he is the nearest human to God for many people. Many people are saved just he alive. I am interested in the power of faith.