Queuing for hours to catch the briefest of glimpses

WAITING hours for a brief goodbye, pilgrims young and old prayed, sang hymns and shaded themselves from the sun with umbrellas as they queued yesterday to see Pope John Paul’s crimson-robed body at St Peter’s Basilica.

Inside the basilica, ushers moved the massive crowds down the marble aisles quickly and many pilgrims said they were surprised their farewell had passed in a flash.

Meanwhile, in a break from tradition the Vatican said yesterday that John Paul II was not embalmed, only “prepared” for viewing.