VATICAN CITY, 3 April 2005 — Millions mourned the death of Pope John Paul II, who died yesterday as world leaders spoke warmly of the man, born to humble origins, who had left a lasting memorial with his humane touch for the world’s oppressed. Tens of thousands in the square burst into applause to show their deeply-felt appreciation for the popular pope. Many dropped to their knees on the square’s cobblestones to weep and say a last prayer for their departed pope.
In Washington, US President George W. Bush yesterday paid tribute to Pope John Paul II in a brief appearance shortly after the pope’s death, calling him a “champion of human freedom.” With the passing of the pontiff, “the Catholic Church has lost its shepherd, the world has lost a champion of human freedom, and a good and faithful servant of God has been called home,” Bush said from the White House, his wife, Laura Bush, by his side.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement: “Muslims worldwide respected Pope John Paul II as an advocate for justice and human rights. His message of international peace and interfaith reconciliation is one that will reverberate for decades to come. We offer our sincere condolences to members of the Roman Catholic Church and to all those who seek a more peaceful world.”
Sirens wailed in the Polish capital Warsaw yesterday night to signal and mourn the death of the pope, regarded as the uncrowned king of his native Poland.
Mourners in the pontiff’s southern Polish hometown of Wadowice where, at the Pope once said “it all started”, fell to their knees as it became apparent, Karol Wojtyla, known to many simply as “Lolek” had died at the Vatican.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was “deeply saddened” by the death of Pope John Paul II and called him “a tireless advocate of peace.”
“I was deeply saddened by the death of Pope John Paul II,” Annan said in a statement. “Quite apart from his role as a spiritual guide to more than a billion men, women and children, he was a tireless advocate of peace, a true pioneer in interfaith dialogue and a strong force for critical self-evaluation by the Church itself.”
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in London, that the world has lost a religious leader who was revered by Catholics and non-Catholics alike for his unflinching struggle for what he believed was good and right.
In a statement released by Blair’s office, the prime minister said “the world has lost a religious leader who was revered across people of all faiths and none. “He was an inspiration, a man of extraordinary faith, dignity and courage,” it said. “Throughout a hard and often difficult life, he stood for social justice and on the side of the oppressed, whether as a young man facing the Nazi occupation in Poland or later in challenging the communist regime. “He never wavered, never flinched, in the struggle for what he thought was good and right,” said the statement.
French President Jacques Chirac said in Paris he was “deeply moved” and that all of France was in mourning following the death of Pope John Paul II.
“This mourning deeply marks France as well as every French person, who identifies with the message of the Catholic Church,” he said in a statement.
Italy’s President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi said he was “mourning the pope’s death with all Italians”.
“Italy is in mourning. Along with everyone, I feel deep sorrow,” Ciampi said in a televised address to the nation.
Canadian leaders paid tribute to the pope with Prime Minister Paul Martin calling him “a true apostle of peace. “His wide-ranging travels, even at an advanced age and despite ill health, were an expression of his determination to use every opportunity to promote international reconciliation and respect for democratic values and human rights,” Martin said in a statement.
Governor General Adrienne Clarkson said the pope “upheld the tenets of his church with unyielding conviction. Throughout his long life he urged reconciliation and fellowship between all the world’s religions.”
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei praised the pope for standing by the Palestinian people. “He always had positive and just positions toward the rights of the Palestinian people,” Qorei said in Ramallah.
The outpouring of concern — from Protestants, Muslims and Jews — spread as far as Pakistan, Iraq and even China, where Roman Catholics make up but a small percentage of its 1.3 billion people.
In the small northern Iraq town of Tel Kief, a crumbling village of mud-brick homes bearing crosses above entryways, Chaldean Catholics offered prayers for the pope as US Army soldiers patrolled the narrow streets outside. “We feel very bad about the pope, but this is the choice of God,” said Adel Changu, a 55-year old Chaldean shopkeeper.
