Pope John Paul is dead

[Rusalka]

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul II died on Saturday, the Vatican announced. The 84-year-old Pontiff, who had headed the Roman Catholic Church for 26 years, died at 9:37 p.m. (2:37 p.m. EST), a statement said. "The Holy Father died this evening at 21.37 in his private apartment," the statement said.

The news was immediately announced to huge crowds gathered in St Peter's Square.

John Paul will be remembered for his role in the collapse of communism in Europe and his unyielding defense of traditional Vatican doctrines as leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.

Huge crowds had staged a tearful vigil in St. Peter's Square, praying for a man already being dubbed by some Catholics as "John Paul the Great."

The Pope's health had deteriorated steadily over the past decade and earlier this year took a sharp turn for the worse.

The Pontiff, once a lithe athlete and powerful speaker, was already racked by arthritis and Parkinson's Disease, his voice often reduced to a raspy whisper.

He was rushed to hospital twice in February and had to have a tracheotomy to ease serious breathing problems. But he never regained his strength from the operation and failed dramatically on two occasions to address crowds at St. Peter's Square.

On Wednesday doctors inserted a feeding tube into his stomach to try boost his energy levels. A day later he developed a urinary infection and high fever that soon precipitated heart failure, kidney problems and ultimately death.

According to pre-written Church rules, the Pontiff's mourning rites will last 9 days and his body is likely to be laid to rest in the crypt underneath St Peter's Basilica.

The conclave to elect a new Pope will start in 15 to 20 days, with almost 120 cardinals from around the world gathering in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel to choose a successor.

There is no favorite candidate to take over. Karol Wojtyla was himself regarded as an outsider when he was elevated to the papacy on Oct. 16, 1978.

Few would have predicted then that the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years would throw off the stiff trappings of the papacy, travel the globe and leave an indelible mark on history. In over a quarter century on the world stage, he was both a champion of the downtrodden and an often contested defender of orthodoxy within his own church.

Historians say one of the Pope's most lasting legacies will be his role in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989.

"Behold the night is over, day has dawned anew," the Pope said during a triumphant visit to Czechoslovakia in 1990.

A decade after witnessing the fall of communism, he fulfilled another of his dreams. He visited the Holy Land in March 2000, and, praying at Jerusalem's Western Wall, asked forgiveness for Catholic sins against Jews over the centuries.

But while many loved the man, his message was less popular and he was a source of deep division in his own church.

Critics constantly attacked his traditionalist stance on family issues, such as his condemnation of contraception and homosexuality, and hope the next Pope will be more liberal.

However, he has appointed more than 95 percent of the cardinals who will elect his successor, thus stacking the odds that his controversial teachings will not be tampered with.

[White Falcon]

Croats shall never forget you , your holiness.
You'we been a great friend , we own you so much.

[Zrinski]

A truly great man has left us....may he rest in peace...

[Gil]

I'm not a Catholic but Pope John Paul was a great man, with a great insight on the problems of humanity.

[Nerthus]

Indeed, may he rest in peace...

[Figlio della Lupa]

RIP Giovanni Paolo II

[Phlegethon]

[AndreasBolle]

Rest In Peace.

[Rusalka]

Great photos, Phleg.

Even though I'm not Catholic, and not even religious, I genuinely liked the Pope. I think he was a universally well-loved figure; maybe not all his policies, but as a person. There's also no doubt that he did many things towards world peace, or at least, a more peaceful world. Today even between friends who are not Catholics either, most of the discussion was about his passing away. Which reminded me, I used to think he was Santa Claus as a child...

[Nerthus]

In spite of the fact that recently the effects of his illness were more and more obvious, he made the efforts to keep addressing crowds. I think he not only believed in God and loved God, but also loved people. Years ago when he was shot he forgave the author of such an attempt. He opposed abortion and loved children among other things. Therefore, eventhough not entirely as a leader, as a man he has my admiration as well.

[Rusalka]

Here are some much older photos of him, which I thought might be of interest:



In the army:


As a student:


Canoeing:




As a child and then as a young priest:




And I think this last one is from his early years as a Pope, or maybe as a Bishop:

[rhodan]

Are these shoes "chucks" (converse)? ... Rest in peace, a good pope all the time and I should mention that he, as a conservative was against the globalisation and the neo-liberalism who destroys the social networks.

[Rusalka]

And some more:





On his ordination:


I think this one is especially nice; it's usually hard to think of old and important people as children.

[Phlegethon]

It almost made me puke how Dubya, the enemy of the world, tried to claim the Pope as his friend because he also opposed communism. Someone should have beaten that war criminal unconscious for this act of blasphemy.

[etoile noir]

Indeed a great man who has passed on to meet his Lord.

[Nerthus]

Dubya is everyone's "friend"...

[Phlegethon]

Dubya is everyone's fiend.

[White Falcon]

The Mass at Žnjan


On the third day of the Pope’s visit to Croatia, October 4, he conducted a magnificent celebration of the Eucharist at Žnjan near the city of Split in commemoration of Split’s 1,700th anniversary. An estimated half million of the faithful attended, including approximately 50,000 from neighboring Bosnia & Herzegovina and numerous Croats from other countries. Approximately 350 boats were anchored at Žnjan, from which some of the faithful followed the celebration of the Mass and among which were two authentic copies of ancient Croatian boats. The Pope said to those assembled that the Mass at Žnjan was an expression of "a deep sense of gratitude to Divine Providence for this two-fold gift: first and foremost, the gift of your call to faith, and then the gift of the fruits which that faith has borne in your culture and your way of life." In his sermon, the Pope made particular reference to the the need for a new evangelization throughout the world. He prayed that the Church in Croatia would be able to see clearly, with God’s help, the challenges and tasks associated with the new evangelization and concentrate all its efforts in the right direction during the coming third millennium.


"The decision by your forefathers to accept the Catholic faith," proclaimed the Pope, ". . . is a heritage which makes demands of you. . . .The Lord has not failed to enlighten your days with hope and now, with the coming of freedom and democracy, it is legitimate to expect a new springtime of faith in this land of Croatia. The Church is now able to employ many means of evangelization and can approach all sectors of society," the Pope emphasized. "The Chr