Work begins to prepare Pope's funeral

Planning Pope John Paul II’s funeral and arranging the destruction of his papal ring are among the imposing tasks awaiting the red-capped members of the College of Cardinals as they prepare to hold their first meeting since the pontiff’s death.

The body of Pope John Paul II emerges from an inner sanctum of the Vatican today for the public to bid farewell, as cardinals gather to hear the pontiff’s final wishes and decide the hour and manner of his burial.

Up to two million mourners were expected in Rome to pay tribute to the Polish-born prelate who reigned firmly over his flock for 26 years with unbending loyalty to its ancient precepts, resisting calls from modernises for the church to adapt.

As tens of thousands of the faithful file past John Paul’s bier above the traditional site of the St. Peter’s tomb, the red-capped members of the College of Cardinals are scheduled to hold their first preparatory meeting on the practical arrangements of disposing of the Pope’s mortal remains before they get ready to choose who will inherit his mantle.

John Paul himself set an imposing agenda for the cardinals in instructions he drafted in 1996, including the reading of any final documents he may have prepared for them.

That could include directives on where he wanted to be interred, whether in the crypts beneath St. Peter’s Basilica as has been done with most popes, or in his native Poland.

The Pope will be buried some time between Wednesday and Friday, with pageantry reserved for the highest prince of the church and in the presence of many of the world’s secular and religious leaders.

The Pope died Saturday of septic shock and cardio-circulatory collapse, but had been struggling with declining health for many years. He was 84.

Yesterday, John Paul lay in state in the Vatican’s frescoed Apostolic Palace, dressed in crimson vestments and a white bishop’s mitre, his head resting on a stack of gold pillows.

A rosary was wound around his hands and a staff was tucked under his left forearm. A Swiss Guard stood on either side as diplomats, politicians and clergy paid their respects at his feet.

As they begin a series of preparatory meetings, the cardinals quietly will be sizing up each other for the task of electing the 265th successor to St. Peter, the first pope.

The conclave, held in utmost secrecy with all cardinals sequestered until a decision is reached, must begin 15 to 20 days after the Pope’s death.