Pilgrims gather in Rome to bid Pope farewell

POPE John Paul's body was displayed to the world yesterday and his words echoed across St Peter's Square as the faithful mourned the Pole who helped topple communism in Europe but left a divided Church.

Streams of pilgrims converged on Rome in a spontaneous outpouring of affection for the pontiff, who died on Saturday evening aged 84.

"He died with the serenity of the saints," Cardinal Angelo Sodano told a huge crowd assembled for a sombre Requiem Mass.