Faithful bid final farewell at tomb of John Paul II

CLUTCHING rosaries, medals and flowers, thousands of people filed past the simple white marble tomb of Pope John Paul II yesterday as the Vatican reopened the grottoes beneath St Peter’s Basilica for the first time since the Pope died.

Some said they had come not only to pray for John Paul, but also to pray to him. Many Roman Catholics believe John Paul, who died April 2 at age 84, was a saint.

"I'm hoping maybe for a little miracle," said Myrna Palmer, 67, of Hagerstown, Maryland, in the eastern United States. "I'm praying to him that my husband gets his eyesight back."