
The body of Pope John Paul II in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace yesterday.
Photograph: Gianni Giansanti/Vatican Pool/Getty Images
- The death of Pope John Paul II leaves the whole world in mourning for one of the great leaders of our time. He was an inspirational figure who practised what he preached, even if his pleas for social justice, strict standards of sexual morality and the rejection of unbridled capitalism were more often than not ignored. He was an outstanding pastor who visibly wore himself out in his mission to make this a better world and convince men and women of all faiths and none that their ultimate destiny transcends the joys and sorrows of everyday life.
- Sixty thousand people stood so quietly in St Peter's Square that from 100 yards away one could clearly hear the water gently flowing in the square's two handsome fountains.
- The mortal remains of Pope John Paul II went on display in the Vatican yesterday. This morning in Rome, cardinals will turn their minds to his last will and testament and plans for his funeral, wites Paddy Agnew in Rome