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ROME - Feet hurt but spines were stiff Wednesday in the thick, snaking line that dissected Vatican City and oozed into the streets of Rome. Rome's never seen anything like this crowd of people determined to go the last mile-and-a-half to pay their final respects to Pope John Paul II, even if might take 12 to 24 hours to trudge into St. Peter's Basilica. The line inched across the Vittorio Emanuele II bridge and west past the Umberto I Bridge. On any other day, this path to St. Peter's Basilica would be a 20- to 25-minute stroll. On Wednesday, it...

<p>Pilgrims resumed viewing the body of Pope John Paul II after the doors of St Peter's Basilica were reopened before dawn - the last day that the beloved pontiff would be on display.</p> <p>The basilica reopened at around 4:20am (1220 AEST), about 40 minutes ahead of schedule, as hundreds of thousands were waiting in a kilometers-long line snaking down a wide boulevard and alleyways around the Vatican.</p>

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Faisalabad (AsiaNews) – Muslims in Pakistan will not soon forget John Paul II’s contribution to humanity. Indeed, messages of condolences to the local Catholic community are pouring in from around this predominantly-Muslim country that the Pontiff visited in 1981.President Pervez Musharraf praised the Pontiff for his role in promoting peace in the world, inter-religious harmony and understanding among peoples.Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz for his part said that the service John Paul II rendered to humanity “will be remembered for a long time to come”.From London, Altaf Hussain, leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan’s third most important political party, expressed...

If I were Pope - and no, don't worry, I'm not planning a mid-life career change - but, if I were, I'd be a little irked at the secular media's inability to discuss religion except through the prism of their moral relativism. That's why last weekend's grand old man - James Callaghan - got a more sympathetic send-off than this weekend's. The Guardian's headline writer billed Sunny Jim as a man "whose consensus politics were washed away in the late 1970s". Is it possible to have any meaningful "consensus" between, on the one hand, closed-shop council manual workers demanding a...

Final Letter of Pope John Paul II to the Faithful Pope John Paul II's own words were read aloud by Archibishop Leonardo Sandri at the conclusion of the requiem mass in St. Peter's Square. It was the Pope's final letter to the world and was to be read by the Pope himself at today's mass of the Divine Mercy, had he been able. The Vatican has posted the text of this letter on its Web site. So far it is only available in Italian. I have translated it into English. Note that this is not an official translation, as none...

If I were Pope — and no, don't worry, I'm not planning a mid-life career change — but, if I were, I'd be a little irked at the secular media's inability to discuss religion except through the prism of their moral relativism. That's why last weekend's grand old man — James Callaghan — got a more sympathetic send-off than this weekend's. The Guardian's headline writer billed Sunny Jim as a man "whose consensus politics were washed away in the late 1970s". Is it possible to have any meaningful "consensus" between, on the one hand, closed-shop council manual workers demanding a...

The Daily Telegraph announces that the Pope's funeral will take place on Friday, 8a.m. G.M.T.

"The Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici gregis, promulgated by John Paul II on February 22, 1996 have been activated." Read the entire directive... JOHN PAUL II SUPREME PONTIFF APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTIONUNIVERSI DOMINICI GREGIS ON THE VACANCY OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE AND THE ELECTION OF THE ROMAN PONTIFF

ABC News Experts: New Pope Unlikely to Be American Vatican Experts Are Convinced New Pope Chosen by Cardinals Won't Be From United States Cardinals attend a Mass for the late Pope John Paul II celebrated by the Vatican secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, not seen, on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday April 3, 2005. (AP Photo/Massimo Sambucetti) By RICHARD N. OSTLING The Associated Press Apr 3, 2005 — When the cardinals enter their secretive conclave to pick the new pope, the 11 Americans voting will be the second-largest national group behind the Italians. But don't...

World Mourns Pope as Pilgrims Gather in Homage 21 minutes ago Top Stories - Reuters By Philip Pullella and Jane Barrett VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul's body was laid in view of the world Sunday and his words resonated across St. Peter's Square as faithful mourned the Pole who helped topple Communism in Europe but left a riven Church. Streams of pilgrims converged on Rome in a spontaneous outpouring of affection for the Pontiff, who died Saturday evening aged 84 in his Vatican bed after an extended struggle with ill health that slowly sapped his strength. The Pope's...

Pope John Paul II, a man of faith, peace OUR OPINION: HE OPENED THE CATHOLIC CHURCH TO THE WORLD There was so much to the man. Vigilant shepherd, profound theologian, tireless evangelist, astute strategist, master politician. Pope John Paul II was all of this and more, a man so full of energy and passion to spread the word of Christ the Redeemer that in 26 years as leader of the Roman Catholic Church he became one of the most influential religious figures of modern times. He was a man of paradoxes: poet and sportsman; introspective and gregarious; inflexible and forgiving....

Israel expressed "deep sorrow" at the passing of Pope John Paul II, who in 1986 referred to the Jewish people as "our elder brothers." Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom issued a statement saying that "Israel, the Jewish people and the entire world, lost today a great champion of reconciliation and brotherhood between the faiths." "On behalf of the government and people of Israel, we extend our condolences to the Catholic Church and the flock of Pope John Paul II," Shalom said. "This is a great loss, first and foremost for the Catholic Church and its hundreds of millions of believers, but...

President Bush called Pope John Paul II "an inspiration to us all" on Saturday and reacted to the pontiff's death by immediately ordering that the flags over the White House fly at half-staff. Bush planned to speak at the White House not even 90 minutes after the death of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The pope died at 2:37 p.m. EST in his Vatican apartment. Hours earlier, in his weekly radio address, Bush spoke of John Paul as "a faithful servant of God and a champion of human dignity and freedom." "He is an inspiration to us all,"...

<p>"The Pilgrim Pope" - Since Thursday, March 31 and the announcement of the Pope?s critical condition, high fever, and urinary tract infection, and subsequent septic shock there has been a constant vigil of the faithful while media coverage has been continually providing updates along with stories, and historical information on this holiest of holy men.</p>

The Associated Press reported early this morning that Pope John Paul II is receiving nutrition through a feeding tube. His increasingly frail health is likely the reason Rizzoli moved up publication of the 84-year-old pontiff's fifth book, Memory and Identity: Conservations at the Dawn of a Millennium. But the book itself should put to rest to any suggestion that the Pope has been anything but alert during the last few years. Memory and Identity came out of conversations the Pontiff had in 1993 with two Polish philosophers. An anonymous editorial note at the beginning says the Pope has revised the...

On a bright Sunday afternoon in November 1999, I was standing in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. My family and I had just attended Sunday Mass, my feet were sore as it had been standing room only, and the scent of incense was lingering as it wafted out of the immense cathedral.As I walked through the crowds of believers, some holding flags and signs indicating their country of origin, my father tapped me on the shoulder and pointed at a building in the distance. I could see from my vantage point that a window had opened, and there stood a...

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope John Paul II showed the first signs of losing consciousness at dawn on Saturday, the Vatican said, as priests around the world prepared the Roman Catholic faithful for his passing. But John Paul, 84, was not in a coma and opened his eyes when spoken to, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said. The pope's health began deteriorating Thursday after he suffered a urinary tract infection. In its latest statement the Vatican, which earlier described his heart and kidneys as failing, said his condition was unchanged and "very grave." Navarro-Valls said the pope was still speaking late...

'Poland is at the Pope's bedside' By Dominic Bailey BBC News, Krakow Poland waits - as the rest of the of the world waits for news of the nation's favourite son. In Krakow, where Pope John Paul II was once a priest and bishop, the town's many churches were open throughout the night for prayer vigils, and continued to draw hundreds of people on Saturday. Hundreds have turned to Krakow's Catholic churches For such an unprecedented event, people wanted to be where they could find comfort and make their small contribution. Television stations have rolled continuous coverage of the...

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Pope John Paul signaled he is ready to die by choosing not to return to hospital, his former private secretary said on Friday. "The fact that he has not gone back to hospital is (shows) that he is serenely carrying the cross and ready to give up and to say 'It is finished'," said John Magee, Bishop of Cloyne in Ireland, who worked for the Pope for nine years and was with him during an assassination attempt in 1981. The 84-year-old Pope appeared close to death on Friday after heart failure and breathing problems although the Vatican...