Cardinals began “an intense period of silence and prayer” today before their conclave in the Vatican City, saying they would stop speaking publicly to protect the strict secrecy that surrounds the centuries-old tradition of choosing the next pope.

PRESIDENTS, prime ministers and kings joined pilgrims and prelates in St Peter’s Square yesterday to bid an emotional farewell to Pope John Paul II at a funeral service that drew millions to Rome for the largest gathering of the powerful and the humble in modern times.

Throngs of pilgrims waved Polish flags, recited the rosary and sang hymns as they packed the cobblestone streets leading up to the Vatican today to bid an emotional farewell to Pope John Paul.

WHEN the grey uniforms appear on the streets of Rome, the citizens know the occasion is going to be a big one.

Tens of thousands of people waited for hours today for the first public viewing of Pope John Paul’s body, shielding themselves from the blistering sun with umbrellas as they prepared to pay their final respects in the Vatican.

The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, celebrated a Mass for the repose of Pope John Paul II’s soul today on the steps of St Peter’s Basilica, calling on the tens of thousands of people gathered there to pray for “our beloved John Paul".