By Peter Gould BBC News, Rome
The sun is setting in St Peter's Square and the faithful have been waiting and watching for hours.
Anxious followers packed the areas around the Vatican
All day their eyes have been scanning the windows of the Pope's apartment.
For nearly 27 years John Paul II has appeared at these windows to bless the crowds gathered below.
Today the curtains have not moved and the people down below are thinking of the man they cannot see.
The crowd is subdued and there is concern etched on many faces.
Throughout the day there has been an air of sadness and resignation. The crowd has heard the medical bulletins indicating the steady worsening of the Pope's condition.
Even the tourists who have come here to see St Peter's Basilica and the treasures of the Vatican museum seem affected by the mood and reluctant to leave.
Talk and questions
There is a sense of being present at a moment of history.
The Catholic Church is witnessing the passing of a pope, a man some are already calling John Paul the Great.
The death of a pope is an event of great significance, and not just for the Catholic world
People hold radios to their ears listening to the news and it is not good.
One man scans the Pope's windows with high-powered binoculars, perhaps hoping for a sign.
As the sun sinks behind the Basilica and the clouds turn a delicate shade of pink, the lamps are switched on in St Peter's Square.
A light comes on in one of the Pope's windows, then another.
What is going on inside people are wondering.
There is talk among the many journalists of this now being a waiting game.
With many hundreds of cameras now trained on the Pope's windows, the media interest may appear a little morbid.
But there is a recognition that the death of a pope is an event of great significance, and not just for the Catholic world.
The pope is more than just a spiritual leader of one billion people, some say he is a moral voice in a troubled world.
Confusion
It is now almost dark in St Peter's Square and more and more people are joining the vigil.
There are not just pilgrims here for Holy Week, or less religiously minded tourists ticking off the sights in their guide books. Many of the silent watchers are Romans - John Paul II is not just the head of the Catholic Church here, he is bishop of their city.
After gazing at the Pope's window sadly for several minutes, a middle-aged woman standing next to me makes the sign of the Cross and walk quietly away into the darkness.
Then, at about 2030 Rome time, a rumour quickly spreads that the Pope has died.
More and more people file into the square.
But instead of the official announcement of the Pope's death that some had been expecting, the crowd was asked to recite a decade of the Rosary.
Then, with no more word on the Pope's health, some quietly leave the square.
But many remain behind, praying for the Pope.
Awaiting news of the Pope