山姆的小島心情

Millions are remembering Pope John Paul II

The Vatican has announced the death of Pope John Paul II.

His death brings to an end one of the longest papal reigns in history.

BBC correspondents report on reaction from across the globe.

Sunday 3 April

The President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has declared a period of national mourning starting on Monday, until the Pope is laid to rest.

Across the nation government offices have been instructed to fly the Philippine flag at half mast. The Philippines shared a close bond with the Pontiff, strictly adhering to his policies against abortion, contraception and divorce. He visited the country twice, drawing a crowd of more than five million in 1995. Seen as an inspiration while he was alive, Filipinos are remembering his legacy as they mourn his death.

It's a strange feeling suddenly to have a rudderless Vatican, a church without a Pope.

Only a week ago on Easter Sunday we saw a very sick, completely silent Pope, struggling and failing to speak from his window high above St Peter's Square. Now he lies dead inside the apostolic palace.

Later today the first of a series of requiem masses for the repose of his soul will be celebrated before a huge congregation of people from all nationalities and walks of life.

They've spent the night praying and remembering a man who they feel sure will go down in history as one of the great popes of all time. Pope John Paul died surrounded by his closest friends and collaborators from his native Poland.

One of the priests present at his death bed said his last word was a whispered amen.

Preparations are being made for the Pope's funeral now ahead of the cardinals meeting to choose a new pope.

There will be intense activity in the Vatican during the next 15 to 20 days before the conclave begins to elect a successor.

Cardinals will be thinking about who there first choice and even their second choice will be for this role.

It was a huge surprise when John Paul II was elected, a Polish priest from behind the Iron Curtain.

This opened the way for lots of exciting possibilities, including a pope from Africa or from Latin America.

The big mass here to remember the Pope will be held here during the week and it will be open not just to Catholics but to anyone who wants to attend and pay their respects.

There will be a procession today to the Garden of Gesthame, to remember him and there will be a special mass in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born and in Nazareth where Jesus is believed to have grown up.

One of the Pope's dreams he had was to visit the holy sites in Jerusalem and that dream came true for him in 2000 during his visit.

He was well known for calling on both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to end the violence here and to work for peace.

Large crowds turned out at morning masses in Krakow to hear prayers for the pope. His death is being mourned with special intensity in the city where he spent almost his entire adult life before being elected pope in 1978.

All night long, vigils were held at churches across the city. Crowds came to pray, sing and reflect at the archbishop's palace, the focal point for mourning.

The small park opposite the palace is now filled with candles and bouquets of flowers are piled up in the gateway. Many people here feel they've lost more than a pope. John Paul II was a national hero respected for his principled stand against communism and regarded as a moral authority.

Through the night, workmen rushed to build stands for the world's media. Huge crowds will gather again this morning for a special open air mass. The influx of pilgrims, many from Poland, the Pope's homeland, is expected to build steadily as the days pass.

Many will come to pay their final respects to the Pope when his body is moved to St Peter's to lie in state there. Yet more will come for the funeral, possibly on Thursday.

Rome may struggle to cope. Hotels are already fully booked. Several sports grounds are now being commandeered to house new arrivals. Pope John Paul II, sometimes controversial, always charismatic, redefined the papacy. Now the world is flocking to Rome to say goodbye.

Sunday is day when Catholics traditionally gather and today the catholic family will gather to remember their Holy Father.

Westminster Cathedral stayed open all night to allow people to come and pray and reflect on the passing of John Paul II.

The normal 1030 mass here has been turned into a requiem mass for the Pope. It is open to everyone but I think people will have to get here early to get a seat. This is a very busy church and a focus for Catholics from all over the capital.

Today is a day for the faithful here at Westminster Cathedral.

I'm overlooking St Peter's Square in Rome where all night people have been reflecting on the life of a much loved spiritual leader. Pilgrims are continuing to arrive to pay their respects.

Thousands of people have been gathering outside the Pope's old home, the archbishop's palace, to say goodbye. All eyes were focused on the Pope's window, where Karol Wojtyla used to speak to the people of his beloved Krakow.

Many people could not hold back the tears. Couples supported each other and listened in silent contemplation to the mass broadcast on loud speakers. Small candles flickered in the darkness in front of the floral tributes and cards. One read: "We love you Holy Father, we are with you always." The writer, Adam Schoskievitch, summed up what many felt.

China's terse reporting of what for the rest of the world is the top news story is likely to set the tone for a muted reaction to the pontiff's death, in public at least. Notices of the pope's death were posted in at least some state sanctioned Catholic churches, with church officials saying that prayers were said and special masses were planned later.

But for China, the pope's status is a sensitive issue. Politically, China's state-backed Catholic church doesn't recognise the Vatican's authority, although it regards the pope as a spiritual leader while the Holy See still has diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The Prime Minister and politicians from all political parties in Australia have been paying tribute the Pope John Paul II. The news came through here very early in the morning and throughout the day thousands of people have been gathering at the Catholic cathedral, St Mary's, to pay their respects.

Prayers of hope in the Philippines turn to sorrow as Filipinos awoke to the news of the pope's death. The rich and the poor of this country of 65 million Catholics is united in grief. Both at home and in public at special masses and candlelit vigils, thousands of Filipinos shed tears for the pope.

Many who refused to give up hope even near the very end were shocked and would not believe the news. President Gloria Arroyo led the nation in prayer. She expressed a deep sense of grief and loss. The country has embraced the pontiff's policies against abortion, contraception, divorce and homosexuality.

At early morning mass people were finding out about the death and some were too choked with emotion to talk about it. Some had been praying for a miracle right to the very end.

Cuba appears to be making it clear that its atheist past is well behind it as it pays its respects to John Paul II. News of his death led the main evening news.

Along with three days of mourning, the national flag is to be flown at half-mast.

The Cuban government, once criticised for persecuting Catholics, is offering its condolences to believers around the world. It also says it will be sending a high level delegation to the Pope's funeral.

The late Pope is viewed with real affection by many Cubans and not just the 5% of the population who are practising Catholics. When he came here in 1998, hundreds of thousands flocked to see him. His visit resulted in Christmas being reinstated as an official national holiday.

News of the Pope's death filtered through just as prayers were being said for him at a mass in Sao Paulo cathedral.

"Has this been confirmed?" the archbishop asked reporters as the service ended.

He then called John Paul II a great pope, one of the greatest ever, a man who felt the pain of the world's poor.

In a statement, President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva said the pope's three visits to Brazil would be remembered with great emotion. He praised the pontiff's unshakeable determination in the face of physical suffering.

John Paul II was not universally loved here. Some detested his strict stance on abortion and homosexuality. Others say he was wrong to distance the church from politics during Latin America's years of military dictatorship.

But as the bells of Sao Paulo cathedral sound the end of this pontificate, the overwhelming feeling is one of sadness, as the world's largest Catholic population grieves.

Saturday 2 April

Jerusalem has been quiet in the hours following the Pope's death. Rain is falling onto the empty alleyways of the old city. In the dark, handfuls of pilgrims have been making their way towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - Christianity's holiest site.

The church door is being guarded by a young Israeli policewoman sitting on a bench. Inside, small numbers of worshippers have been lighting candles.

Vatican flags flying in this city have also been lowered and later in the day, the Latin patriarch, Michel Sabbah, will hold a mass in memory of the Pope in the Basilica of the Annunciation in the town of Nazareth.

The service has ended and the crowd has been told to go home, but many cannot bring themselves to leave St Peter's Square.

People are standing in groups, comforting one another. Some have their eyes closed in silent prayer. It was the suddenness of the announcement, in the middle of the service, that seemed to catch them off guard.

I stood at this spot on a night in 1978 when the unknown Karol Wojtyla became John Paul II. There was excitement at what this might mean for the Church.

Tonight there is sadness that a remarkable papacy has finally come to an end. But many of the people here are taking comfort in the thought that their Pope, who gave his life to the Church, is no longer suffering.

I see from a calculator in my computer that the life of Karol Wojtyla spanned exactly 31,000 days. His papacy, the third longest, lasted 9,665 days.

Extraordinary numbers for an extraordinary man.

The Pope's funeral will be one of the biggest ever gatherings of world leaders.

John Paul II, the first ever Slav Pope, will be remembered as a record breaker. He was the most travelled Pope in history, the first to visit a synagogue, a mosque, and even a football match.

George W Bush called Pope John Paul II a "hero for the ages". That's a sign of the historic significance the papacy of John Paul has been accorded in the minds of many of America's leaders.

Mr Bush also noted that the Pope had urged Catholics to build a culture of life. That of course, is a reflection of the Pontiff's opposition to abortion and contraception. Many of these views are shared across the conservative spectrum in the US, uniting Catholics and Protestants.

Lesley Ashmal : Vatican, Rome : 2140GMT

There are so many people here in St Peter's Square who are not of the Catholic faith at all.

St Peter's Square is still very, very quiet. As soon at the Mass was over, as soon as the bells stopped tolling and as soon as the Cardinal told people they could go home or wait and join a second mass that's going to be held at midnight our time.

Shortly after the news was known here at Westminster Cathedral, a single bell started to toll and the Pope's flag was raised to half-mast. There was still around forty people in the Cathedral who had come to pray. Some left in tears, others said the news was sad.

The Archbishop, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, gave a brief statement outside the front door of the cathedral.

"I feel very moved tonight at hearing the news of the death of Pope John Paul II. He was one of the greatest leaders of our modern world. He was an extraordinary man. One of the greatest Popes in the church's two thousand year history.

"We will remember him for his witness to hope and to the dignity of human life."

I am standing in the Archbishop's Palace here in Krakow where the Pope spent 15 years as the Archbishop. Thousands of people are here with candles.

There is now silence, absolute silence. They had been praying and singing hymns and just hoping against hope that he would pull through.

Even though people did expect it, when the news came through there was a sense of shock. We were walking around the old town when a carefree Saturday night atmosphere suddenly changed. Church bells started ringing and people started streaming out into the streets.

Anna Borzello : Lagos, Nigeria : 2125GMT

Pope John Paul II has twice visited Nigeria and many Catholics here felt he had a special place in his heart for Africa. Worshippers have spoken of the Pope as a man who cared for the underdog and fought for the issues that mattered.

About 15 million Catholics live in Nigeria and over the last few days many churches held special masses for the Pope.

We will miss him the Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekon, told the BBC but we also have a sense of gratitude to God for a life well spent.

We were in Mariacki church in the main square in Krakow when the news came through of the Pope's death. Suddenly a deep bell tolled from outside, and a look of slow realisation across people's faces made it clear they realised that the time had come.

Text messages on mobile phones confirmed the news, and people who had been praying all day held their faces as they wept.

It's been a busy day in Krakow, but people have now started to head towards the town's churches, and any other spot associated with Pope John Paul II.

A crowd of about 50,000 people heard the announcement of the Pope's death during an open-air service in St Peter's Square. Although the news was not unexpected, the sudden announcement seemed to shock people.

Mourners are gathered in St Peter's Square

There was prolonged applause from the crowd as a mark of respect for the Pope. Then the crowd went silent for several minutes as they took in the news. Many of them were in tears.

Hardly anybody made a move to leave. Eyes gazed upwards at the windows of the Pope's apartment, the focus of attention all day.

Earlier there had been singing, with people chanting the name of the Pope. After the subdued atmosphere here yesterday the crowd had appeared more upbeat today.

Then came the news that many had been dreading.

One of the clerics leading the service tonight told the crowd "we are all orphans tonight, but faith teaches us that those who die with the Lord live with the Lord".