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Pope John Paul II passed away yesterday night in his apartment after long hours slipping in and out of consciousness, ending a 26-year-long pontificate.
 Thousands of faithful who flocked to St Peter’s Square to pray for the dying Pope saw the lights of the Pontiff’s bedroom flick on at 9.37pm as they waited anxiously for the final signal.
Shortly afterwards, they were told by Mgr Leonardo Sandri, substitute of the Vatican’s Secretary of State that the Pope had just died. During the day, pilgrims and scores of TV journalists from all over the world gathered outside the Vatican to pray and witness the Pope’s final moments.
Millions around the world congregated in Churches and others were glued to their television screens awaiting the latest news.
With his health deteriorating rapidly, the Vatican insisted the 84-year old Pope was in very serious condition and suffering of high fever but “not in a coma” and that he opened his eyes when spoken to.
With beautifully-lit St Peter’s basilica in the backdrop, the Pope’s vicar general for Vatican City, Mgr Angelo Comastri, recited the rosary and prepared the pilgrims for the passing of their spiritual leader by recalling John Paul’s invitation to Catholics in 1978, at the start of his papacy, to throw open the gates of their hearts to Christ.
“This evening or tonight it will be Christ who opens the gates to the Pope,” said Mgr Comastri. “On the threshold he will find Mary awaiting him.”
In a morning press briefing yesterday, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the Pope seemed to be referring to the thousands of young people gathered outside when he uttered his last words: “I have looked for you. Now you have come to me. And I thank you.”
A mass was celebrated in the Pope’s apartment Saturday morning although he did not take part.
Yesterday’s L’Osservatore Romano – the Vatican’s official newspaper – also announced that the Pope had nominated new Apostolic Nuncios, Archbishops and Bishops around the world.
As hours passed, leaders from all over the world, including China, paid tribute to the most travelled Pope in history. Major Arabic networks kept broadcasting images from the Vatican in an unprecedented 24-hour coverage of the final moments of the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church. Even Communist Cuba allowed Cardinal Jaime Ortega to make a rare six-minute television statement.
“A great man is dying,” he said. “This is a man who has carried the moral weight of the world for 26 years… turning himself into the only moral reference for humanity in recent years of wars and difficulties.”
Another Cuban national said: “I don’t believe in God, but if there is a God, let him send us a Pope as good as this one.”
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi postponed his monthly press briefing scheduled for yesterday morning and Archbishop Guzeppi Mercieca celebrated mass in a packed St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta in the evening.
US President George Bush described the Pope as “a faithful servant of God and a champion of human dignity and freedom … an inspiration to us all” while US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice praised the “tremendous contribution” made by the Pope to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe between 1989 and 1991.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia expressed his wishes for the Pope’s recovery as Christians around the Middle East prayed for the Pontiff revered for his long dedication to peace and his efforts to bring reconciliation to Christians, Jews and Muslims.
John Paul II has been an “excellent” pope, said Alfred Donath, head of the Swiss Confederation of Hebrew Congregations. “He worked to bring Jews and the Catholic Church closer together. He was the first Pope to visit a synagogue. He also travelled to Israel and visited the Wailing Wall. We’ll never forget that he presented his excuses to the victims of the Holocaust for the attitude of Catholics during the Second World War.”
Philippines President Gloria Arroyo said the Pope was “a lasting source of strength in a troubled world”.
Lech Walesa – the Pope’s compatriot, Nobel laureate and former President of Poland – urged the world to pray for Karol Wojtyla while Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka said he felt “sadness and pain”, but also a feeling of “powerlessness”.
In Mexico City, thousands gathered at the Basilica of Guadalupe. Many wept before a bronze statue of the Pope.
“From everywhere in Mexico, he receives the backing and love from Mexicans,” President Vicente Fox said.
In Chile, President Ricardo Lagos remembered John Paul II’s intervention in 1978 to prevent war between Chile and neighbouring Argentina, two countries then under military dictatorships.
“He was decisive in helping common sense prevail between our peoples,” he said.
The Pope began a 1987 visit when General Augusto Pinochet was in power, giving Chileans an excuse to take to the streets and protest.
In Argentina, thousands of Argentines packed into churches to pray.
“Argentina owes the Pope for its peace with Chile,” church spokesman Guillermo Marco said.
Bishops in Brazil, with the largest Roman Catholic population in the world, organised services for the ailing Pope “all across the country,” national council of bishops spokesman Odilo Pedro Scherer said.
“We accompany him with concern and prayer,” he said.
Colombia remembered the Pope for his efforts for peace in the country, which has endured 40 years of civil war.
President Alvaro Uribe described him as a “spiritual power” with influence.
“He was very attentive to what was going on,” he said.
In India, the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity – founded by the late Mother Theresa – prayed for the Pope.
“We are continuously praying for the recovery of the Pope at this historic moment,” said Sister Christie.
Although most Indians are Hindus or Muslims, Indian newspapers devoted the front pages to the Pope’s health.
In Rome, police say they expect hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to arrive in the city over the next few days, as cardinals from the US and Latin America are already heading to the Vatican, where they will hold a secret vote in the Sistine Chapel to choose a successor after the death of the Pope.
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