Thousands remember Pope John XXIII
The body of Pope John XXIII, in a crystal and bronze coffin, was displayed in St Peter’s Square today as thousands paid tribute to one of the most beloved pontiffs in modern times.
When the body, dressed in a white lace over-tunic, red velvet cape and red hat trimmed with ermine, reached the steps of the basilica, Pope John Paul II came out into the square in a solemn procession at the start of Mass celebrated at an altar on the steps.
"We have the joy to host, near the altar, the venerated remains of Blessed John XXIII," John Paul II said.
After the ceremony, the half-ton, shatterproof coffin, resting on a bed of red roses, was guided into the basilica by pallbearers.
John Paul has made a point in his 22-year-old papacy of holding out role models from the past. John XXIII, who had stomach cancer, died in 1963.
Today’s public viewing "keeps alive the good memory of John XXIII and his heritage for the church in the new millennium" said a Spanish priest, Josep Domingo, who said he would go into the basilica later to see the body.
The body, with its hands folded in prayer, was put on display at the main altar for the public until nightfall.
Then the coffin was to be installed in a new resting place more accessible for John XXIII’s admirers, a space under an altar near the centre of the basilica.
"I think back with admiration on the brief but intense pontificate of this unforgettable predecessor of mine," John Paul said.
Then he watched closely as the body, resting on red cushions with a velveteen cushion propping up the head, was removed from the square.
John XXIII was pope from 1958 to 1963. His pontificate sparked widespread changes to the church, including the use of local languages instead of Latin for Mass.
The son of farmers in northern Italy, he went on to serve as a diplomat for the Vatican after he became a priest.
He was widely beloved, especially by fellow Italians, for his down-to-earth ways, good humour and his efforts to improve relations with other faiths.
The special attention for John XXIII is an indication of the Vatican’s enthusiasm for the pontiff’s eventual sainthood.
John Paul beatified John XXIII in September in the last formal step before possible sainthood.
John XXIII’s body was dressed, in keeping with the pontiff’s modesty, in everyday papal clothes and not in elaborate liturgical garments as it was immediately after his death.
After the body was exhumed this year, Vatican officials described the corpse as being in remarkably well-preserved condition.
