Millions Worldwide Mourn, Praise Pope John Paul II
From Europe to Asia, the Middle East to the Caribbean, Roman Catholics prayed, wept and hugged each other in grief as news flashed across the globe of the death of the Pope
As millions prayed and wept at services across the globe Sunday following the death of Pope John Paul II, leaders from many nations hailed the late pontiff as a torch-bearer for peace, bridge-builder between faiths and a force in the fall of the Iron Curtain.
From Europe to Asia, the Middle East to the Caribbean, Roman Catholics prayed, wept and hugged each other in grief as news flashed across the globe of the death of the Pope, who died Saturday in his apartment of septic shock and cardio-circulatory collapse.
In the Pope's homeland, more than 100,000 worshippers packed Warsaw's central square and about 60,000 gathered for an open air mass in Krakow, where the then Karol Wojtyla was archbishop, to mark the start of six days of national mourning.
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Bunches of yellow and white daffodils, roses and lilies piled up in town squares and at churches across Poland, reported Reuters.
In France, President Jacques Chirac joined thousands of mourners who packed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and filled the square outside, while in Russia, President Vladimir Putin said John Paul's "spiritual and political legacy have been deservedly valued by humanity," according to Reuters.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair had been expected on Monday to call a general election, Reuters reported, but his office said he would attend a service for the Pope.
Throughout Asia, Catholics gathered to mourn the death of John Paul II at mass, as regional leaders hailed the pontiff as one of the most significant political figures of his time.
In the Philippines, where John Paul’s 1981 visit is credited with sowing the seeds of the People Power revolution that ended the Marcos regime, church bells tolled across the capital Manila and parishioners wept openly.
In South Korea, home to four million Catholics, special altars were set up for people to mourn the pope, who visited the country in 1984 and 1989.
"Pope John Paul II will be remembered as an apostle of peace ... for good in history," South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun said, as reported by the Agence-France Presse.
The state-controlled Catholic Church in China offered "grave condolences" over the death of Pope John Paul II, AFP reported, although it does not recognize the Vatican and Beijing broke diplomatic ties with the Holy See in 1951.
In New Zealand, Prime Minister Helen Clark ordered flags to be flown at half mast in honor of the late pope.
"From Pope John Paul II's early struggles in Nazi-occupied Poland, to his 1978 election as pope, and during the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in the 1980s, he came to be one of the truly influential figures of the 20th century," Clark said, according to AFP.
In the Middle East, Israelis and Arabs united in mourning on Sunday for the late pontiff, hailing him as a man of peace who sought to heal ancient wounds and forge a brighter future for the Middle East.
In Jerusalem, Reuters reported that hundreds of worshippers chanting hymns marched by candle light in the pouring rain through the old walled city to Gethsemane, the site where Jesus was believed to have been arrested before his crucifixion.
According to Reuters, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called John Paul "a friend of the Jewish people" and said the world had lost "one of the most important leaders of our generation."
Sharon said the Pope had "worked to bring about historic reconciliation" between the Roman Catholic Church and the Jews, and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the Jewish state in 1993.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described John Paul as "a great religious figure who devoted his life to defending the values of peace, freedom, justice and equality for all races and religions, as well as our people's right to independence," according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said, "The Holy See has always stood by (the Lebanese people), shared their sufferings during years of bitterness and inspired them with hopes of reuniting and of joining hands to build their nation."
Lebanon, which has more than a million Catholics, most of them Maronites, declared three days of official mourning, Reuters reported.
In the mountains of northern Iraq, followers of the ancient Chaldean Christian sect gathered for mass to mourn the Pope, and in Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak praised the Pope as "a symbol of love and peace and one who called for dialogue between religions."
Kuwait's ruler Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah said in a condolence message to the Vatican that the Pope was "a great man who worked for the betterment of humanity and for cooperation, understanding and spreading peace among peoples."
Church bells chimed for the Pope in communist Cuba as authorities allowed Catholics to mourn a man they praised for standing up to capitalism. Though Cuba's state-run media's coverage of the pope's final days had been limited, local news agencies reported that Cubans followed John Paul’s declining health through word of mouth, illegal satellite television channels, updates from churches and brief articles in the Communist Party daily Granma.
On Friday night Cuban television granted the island's top prelate, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, rare access to the airwaves, where he announced the pope was on his deathbed.
"A great man is dying," Ortega said, speaking on Cuban television for the first time since the eve of the pope's 1998 visit.
Catholics across religiously conservative Africa praised John Paul II as a man whose teachings had growing appeal for them and who included them on his many trips abroad as well as in his appeals to richer countries to end poverty in the Third World.
According to Reuters, retired Anglican Archbishop and Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu said John Paul "more than any other pope went around the world galvanizing the faithful."
In the United States, President George W. Bush said "The world has lost a champion of human freedom."
"We're grateful to God for sending such a man ... a hero for the ages," Bush said from the White House.
The president has ordered U.S. flags to fly at half-mast as a mark of respect.
