I had watched some of the Mass when parts of it were shown on CNN earlier. During the Sign of Peace, it was fascinating to see the Heads of State shaking one another's hands. I heard that the President of Syria shook hands with the President of Israel. Someone on CNN earlier had said that was the first miracle of John Paul II! Some folks on FR are complaining that Prince Charles shook Robert Mugabe's hand, but they're missing the point. The Sign of Peace is meant to embody the idea that, at the altar of the Lord, people lay aside their differences and treat each other as children of God.
One of the most interesting things that happened was that, just after Communion, but before the Commendation of the Body and Final Blessing of the Mass, the crowd broke into spontaneous applause that went on for about 5 minutes. Then the choir sang the Litany of the Saints, which is beautiful. It is sung in Latin, and it's interesting to try to figure out the Saint's name in English from the Latin one. Then the leaders of the Greek and Eastern Churches gathered around the coffin and said some prayers. The choir sang a version of a hymn that I love, and once sang a different version of at the funeral of a young mother in our Parish. Some of the words are "May the angels bring you into Paradise, May the Martyrs welcome you to the Holy City..." Just beautiful.
After that, the crowd broke into applause again. The the Papal Gentlemen (pallbearers) picked up the coffin to take it into the Basilica. They went up the stairs and behind the makeshift altar with the head of the coffin facing the crowd, and when they reached the top of the stairs, but before entering the doors, they turned around to present the Pope one last time to the crowd, which applauded even more as he was carried into the Basilica. Father Richard John Neuhaus said it was almost as though to let John Paul II see the crowd one last time.
That's the part I saw. It was very moving.
And those who don't understand the Sign of the Peace are just idjits.
(or heathen)
(or both)