Post by musicradio77 on Apr 9, 2005 13:01:15 GMT -5
A sea of love
4 million come to Rome to celebrate Pope's life in poignant ceremony
BY CHARLES W. BELL
in Vatican City
and CORKY SIEMASZKO
in New York
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
Pope John Paul II was laid to rest in a simple grave beneath St. Peter's Basilica yesterday after a solemn and deeply moving funeral that was attended by millions.
It was a stunning and spectacular sendoff that began with Gregorian chants and ended with a standing ovation when the white-gloved pallbearers tipped the Pope's plain wooden coffin for the assembled multitude to see one last time.
It was the biggest funeral in history, a ceremony at which the Polish Pope's remarkable life and accomplishments were recounted, a ceremony at which his peacemaking appeared to bear fruit when sworn enemies shooks hands.
Brisk winds whipped the white-and-red flags carried by the countless Polish pilgrims in the crowd. But the Stars and Stripes - and the colors of Brazil, Ireland, Nigeria and dozens of other countries - were also represented.
Perhaps the most touching moment came when Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who led the service, recalled how the deathly ill Pope struggled to bless the crowd from the window of his apartment overlooking St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday. He died six days later at age 84.
"We can be sure that our beloved Pope is now at the window of the house of his Father and he sees us and he blesses us," said Ratzinger, as he choked back tears. "Today we bury his remains in the earth as a seed of immortality - our hearts are full of sadness, yet at the same time of joyful hope and profound gratitude."
The Pope's most trusted aide, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, wept openly. New York's Edward Cardinal Egan wiped his eyes. And many of the police officers standing watch blinked back tears.
Out in the crowd, the Italians began chanting "Santo subito!" which means "sainthood now." Others picked up the chant. And soon the vast square echoed with the sounds of 200,000 voices speaking as one.
The funeral capped a week of unprecedented public mourning that drew 4 million pilgrims to Rome, including at least 2 million from the Pope's native land.
Latin was the official language of the final farewell. But the diversity of the planet's 1.1 billion Catholics was on display when prayers at the beginning of the Mass were read in Italian, Spanish, English, Portuguese, German, Swahili, Tagalog, French and, of course, Polish.
"For the first time in history, John Paul II has been really a universal father for the whole world," Godfried Cardinal Danneels of Brussels said.
It was blustery but sunny when the Pope's coffin, emblazoned with an "M" for the Virgin Mary and a cross, was carried out of the basilica and placed on a carpet in front of the altar at 10 a.m. The book of the Gospels was placed on the coffin and the brisk wind ruffled its pages.
As the Sistine Choir sang "Grant Him Eternal Rest, O Lord," cardinals clad in red vestments and white miters walked onto the square. Millions followed their progress on 27 enormous screens set up across Rome. An estimated 2 billion around the world watched it on television.
Ratzinger traced the outlines of John Paul's life during a 21-minute homily. He described how John Paul II defied the Nazis, how he helped tear down the Iron Curtain, how he reached out to the Jews.
"Surrounded and threatened by the Nazi terror, he heard the voice of the Lord: 'Follow me!'" Ratzinger said. "The Holy Father was a priest to the last, for he offered his life to God for his flock and for the entire human family."
Ratzinger was interrupted by applause at least a dozen times.
When the Mass was over, the great bells of St. Peter's tolled. The wind had blown the book of Gospels closed. And a dozen Gentlemen of His Holiness carried the Pope's coffin into the basilica at 5:44 p.m.
The Pope's cypress coffin was tied shut with red bands and placed inside a second casket of zinc. Then both coffins were placed inside a third, this one made of walnut and bearing the papal coat of arms.
At 8:20 p.m., in the grotto beneath the basilica, the Pope's coffins were lowered into a freshly cut grave while Dziwisz and the nuns who had cared for the Pope looked on.
"Lord, grant him eternal rest, and may perpetual light shine upon him," Eduardo Cardinal Martinez Somalo said.
Outside, the sunshine gave way to rain, but many of the Poles lingered in the square, unable to tear themselves away. "Our whole world will be different now," said 18-year-old Beata Bilyk. "I don't know what we'll do without him to lead us."
In Poland, cannons roared, sirens wailed and church bells tolled across the land as millions prayed and wept for the son of Wadowice who led his nation to freedom.
The Pope's funeral brought together 200 world leaders, including President Bush, the first sitting U.S. President to attend a papal sendoff.
In a historic display of goodwill by bitter foes, Israeli President Moshe Katsav shook hands with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.
"From Bush to Khatami - Karol's last miracle," the Italian daily La Stampa declared, using the Pope's first name.
Religious leaders as varied as the spiritual head of Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew; the Anglican spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, and Israeli Chief Rabbinate General Secretary Oded Viner took part in the service.
Muslims prayed beside Methodists, Baptists beside Buddhists. Sikhs and Hindus sat with evangelicals and Lutherans. Even the Russian Orthodox Church, long at odds with the Vatican, sent a representative.
4 million come to Rome to celebrate Pope's life in poignant ceremony
BY CHARLES W. BELL
in Vatican City
and CORKY SIEMASZKO
in New York
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
Pope John Paul II was laid to rest in a simple grave beneath St. Peter's Basilica yesterday after a solemn and deeply moving funeral that was attended by millions.
It was a stunning and spectacular sendoff that began with Gregorian chants and ended with a standing ovation when the white-gloved pallbearers tipped the Pope's plain wooden coffin for the assembled multitude to see one last time.
It was the biggest funeral in history, a ceremony at which the Polish Pope's remarkable life and accomplishments were recounted, a ceremony at which his peacemaking appeared to bear fruit when sworn enemies shooks hands.
Brisk winds whipped the white-and-red flags carried by the countless Polish pilgrims in the crowd. But the Stars and Stripes - and the colors of Brazil, Ireland, Nigeria and dozens of other countries - were also represented.
Perhaps the most touching moment came when Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who led the service, recalled how the deathly ill Pope struggled to bless the crowd from the window of his apartment overlooking St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday. He died six days later at age 84.
"We can be sure that our beloved Pope is now at the window of the house of his Father and he sees us and he blesses us," said Ratzinger, as he choked back tears. "Today we bury his remains in the earth as a seed of immortality - our hearts are full of sadness, yet at the same time of joyful hope and profound gratitude."
The Pope's most trusted aide, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, wept openly. New York's Edward Cardinal Egan wiped his eyes. And many of the police officers standing watch blinked back tears.
Out in the crowd, the Italians began chanting "Santo subito!" which means "sainthood now." Others picked up the chant. And soon the vast square echoed with the sounds of 200,000 voices speaking as one.
The funeral capped a week of unprecedented public mourning that drew 4 million pilgrims to Rome, including at least 2 million from the Pope's native land.
Latin was the official language of the final farewell. But the diversity of the planet's 1.1 billion Catholics was on display when prayers at the beginning of the Mass were read in Italian, Spanish, English, Portuguese, German, Swahili, Tagalog, French and, of course, Polish.
"For the first time in history, John Paul II has been really a universal father for the whole world," Godfried Cardinal Danneels of Brussels said.
It was blustery but sunny when the Pope's coffin, emblazoned with an "M" for the Virgin Mary and a cross, was carried out of the basilica and placed on a carpet in front of the altar at 10 a.m. The book of the Gospels was placed on the coffin and the brisk wind ruffled its pages.
As the Sistine Choir sang "Grant Him Eternal Rest, O Lord," cardinals clad in red vestments and white miters walked onto the square. Millions followed their progress on 27 enormous screens set up across Rome. An estimated 2 billion around the world watched it on television.
Ratzinger traced the outlines of John Paul's life during a 21-minute homily. He described how John Paul II defied the Nazis, how he helped tear down the Iron Curtain, how he reached out to the Jews.
"Surrounded and threatened by the Nazi terror, he heard the voice of the Lord: 'Follow me!'" Ratzinger said. "The Holy Father was a priest to the last, for he offered his life to God for his flock and for the entire human family."
Ratzinger was interrupted by applause at least a dozen times.
When the Mass was over, the great bells of St. Peter's tolled. The wind had blown the book of Gospels closed. And a dozen Gentlemen of His Holiness carried the Pope's coffin into the basilica at 5:44 p.m.
The Pope's cypress coffin was tied shut with red bands and placed inside a second casket of zinc. Then both coffins were placed inside a third, this one made of walnut and bearing the papal coat of arms.
At 8:20 p.m., in the grotto beneath the basilica, the Pope's coffins were lowered into a freshly cut grave while Dziwisz and the nuns who had cared for the Pope looked on.
"Lord, grant him eternal rest, and may perpetual light shine upon him," Eduardo Cardinal Martinez Somalo said.
Outside, the sunshine gave way to rain, but many of the Poles lingered in the square, unable to tear themselves away. "Our whole world will be different now," said 18-year-old Beata Bilyk. "I don't know what we'll do without him to lead us."
In Poland, cannons roared, sirens wailed and church bells tolled across the land as millions prayed and wept for the son of Wadowice who led his nation to freedom.
The Pope's funeral brought together 200 world leaders, including President Bush, the first sitting U.S. President to attend a papal sendoff.
In a historic display of goodwill by bitter foes, Israeli President Moshe Katsav shook hands with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.
"From Bush to Khatami - Karol's last miracle," the Italian daily La Stampa declared, using the Pope's first name.
Religious leaders as varied as the spiritual head of Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew; the Anglican spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, and Israeli Chief Rabbinate General Secretary Oded Viner took part in the service.
Muslims prayed beside Methodists, Baptists beside Buddhists. Sikhs and Hindus sat with evangelicals and Lutherans. Even the Russian Orthodox Church, long at odds with the Vatican, sent a representative.