John Paul II funeral - The death of a great Pope united all

The world yesterday said a final farewell to Pope John Paul II.

Kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers, knelt in homage to a pauper Pope, along with tens of thousands of humble mourners in St Peter’s Square.

Millions of others thronged Rome to bear witness at the requiem Mass to mark the passing of the most influential and charismatic Pope of modern times, as he lay in a simple coffin of cypress wood.

For the week prior to his funeral, a veritable river of humanity paid their respects to the Pontiff as millions of people travelled to Rome from near and far.

Throughout the world yesterday church bells tolled to symbolise the sombre occasion but also in celebration of his life which so touched the lives of people in the four corners of the globe, Catholics and non-Catholic alike, and especially the young, with whom he identified so naturally.

All over the globe, countless millions revered this enigmatic man who for longer than a quarter of a century was the moral voice of the world and a champion of justice, wherever injustice existed.

The three-hour ceremony was conducted by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the Sacred College of

Cardinals, who described John Paul II as a “priest to the last”, who had offered his life to God and his congregation, “especially amid the sufferings of his final months”.

His favourite psalm, the Lord is my Shepherd, was specially requested by him and it was performed for a Pope who was truly a shepherd to the world.

Throughout the solemn occasion applause rippled around the Eternal City during history’s largest funeral for an ordinary man who occupied an extraordinary affection in the hearts of countless millions globally.

Karol Wojtyla stunned the world, and especially the Church, when he emerged as an unknown Polish cardinal to become the first non-Italian Pope in 450 years.

Since his elevation to become the spiritual leader of the world’s more than one billion Catholics the late Pontiff adhered to his beliefs unequivocally, yet successfully reached out to other faiths.

In him was perceived the opening up of the traditionally ultra-conservative Vatican to leaders of those other faiths, to the most powerful of the world’s political leaders and to the very ordinary.

His authority throughout his papacy was evidenced as 200 of the world’s leaders were united in common respect and solemn silence, some of whom are divided by their common divergences.

So, too, the religious divide was bridged, even for a moment in time, as Christian, Jewish, Orthodox, and Muslim leaders joined together in offering prayers for this great Catholic leader.

In Kracow, the ancient seat of the Church in Poland, a crowd of almost one million faithful attended a special Mass, and millions of others there closed a remarkable chapter in its history, because Poland mourned not just its Pope, but a national hero.

It was hardly remarkable that the requiem Mass was interrupted briefly by largely Polish voices chanting “Santo Subito”, a call to have their venerated Pontiff immediately canonised.

Maybe it was not just his fellow nationals who implored his creation as a saint, but many others of the faithful for whom he reflected the very embodiment of sanctity.

For the Irish people, Pope John Paul II was held in the heart of the population, practically a member of the family, for whom yesterday was a particularly traumatic occasion.

Despite the disappointment at the Government in not proclaiming a national day of mourning, throughout the land young and old observed the Pope’s funeral in their own individual way.

A special ceremony of remembrance was held in the Phoenix Park last night where many thousands of people congregated in the shadow of the Papal cross, a poignant milestone in recent Irish history, and one of the places where he prayed during his visit to this country.

President Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern as well as Tánaiste Mary Harney and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny represented the people of Ireland, along with many pilgrims from this country who needed to pay their own personal respects.

As he lies in his final resting place in the crypt beneath St Peter’s Basilica, the world must ponder what the future holds for the Church.

Pope John II opened the door wider on spreading the word of God in a world which very often did not wish to hear his persistent message.

He used travel and modern technology to spread his evangelism in his uniquely forthright way.

He was a power for good in a world of material values; an unchanging figure of conviction in a constantly changing world.

Soon the conclave will be assembled to elect his successor and 117 cardinals will be charged with this awesome responsibility.

The spirit of John Paul II will be with the princes of the Church to guide them in their deliberations and if they can select another in the mould of the late Pontiff then the world will be a better place.