VATICAN CITY, 3 April 2005 — Pope John Paul II, the Polish pontiff who led the Roman Catholic Church for more than a quarter century and became history’s most-traveled pope, died yesterday in his Vatican apartment. He was 84.
“The Holy Father died this evening at 9:37 p.m. in his private apartment. All the procedures outlined in the apostolic Constitution ‘Universi Dominici Gregis’ that was written by John Paul II on Feb. 22, 1996, have been put in motion,” an official statement said.
It was distributed to journalists via e-mail. John Paul expired as cardinals were leading some 70,000 people at St. Peter’s Square in prayers for him in his “last journey.”
Bells tolled at the Vatican and across Rome, and Vatican, Italian and European Union flags were being lowered to half-staff across the capital.
The pope died after suffering heart and kidney failure following two hospitalizations in as many months. Just a few hours earlier, the Vatican had said he was in “very serious” condition but responded to members of the papal household.
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican No. 2 official, immediately led the tearful crowd in St. Peter’s Square in prayers for the dead pope.
To many Palestinians, the pope was someone who identified with and supported their cause. He was an advocate of the Palestinian state. “He was a true example of someone who defended human rights, who defended the hungry and the sick in the world, and who worked hard to protect the family,” said Hanna Nasser, Bethlehem’s Palestinian mayor. “He was also an example for interfaith cooperation. He was a clear supporter of the Palestinian issue and the Palestinian people and that is why he welcomed (late Palestinian leader) Yasser Arafat so many times to his palace.”
The pope was also opposed to the US-led war on Iraq which he described as “a crime against peace and a defeat for humanity.”
Immediately after the news was announced to the square by Undersecretary of State Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, there was complete silence. The crowd seemed stunned. A few minutes later, some people broke out in applause in appreciation for the pope — in an Italian tradition in which mourners often clap for important figures. Others wept. A few people started streaming out of the square, but others stayed put and stared at the pope’s windows, where the light still burned.
Since his surprise election in 1978, John Paul traveled the world frequently, staunchly opposing communism in his native Poland and across the Soviet bloc but also preaching against rampant consumerism, contraception and abortion. John Paul was a robust 58-year-old when the cardinals stunned the world and elected the cardinal from Krakow, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.
