Pope laid to rest after emotional ceremony

Turbans, fezzes, yarmulkes, black lace veils, or mantillas, joined the “zucchettos,” or skull caps, of Catholic prelates on the steps of St. Peter’s in an extraordinary mix of religious and government leaders from around the world.

“I’m here because I’m a believer but also to live a moment in history,” said Stephan Aubert, wearing a French flag draped over his shoulders.

Vatican ushers seated dignitaries who were given a chance to view John Paul’s body before it was carried out of the basilica — where it has lain in state since Monday — and into the square.

Bells tolled as the final leaders took their places on red-cushioned wooden seats. Ten minutes before the start of the funeral, the U.S. delegation arrived, headed by President Bush, and including his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President Bill Clinton.

President Bush sat on the aisle in the second row, next to his wife, Laura. Beside them were French President Jacques Chirac and his wife, Bernadette. The two presidents shook hands.

Jewish and Muslim leaders were among the dignitaries, including the presidents of Syria and Iran, and the king of Jordan.

Others in crowd included U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former Polish President Lech Walesa, and Britain’s Prince Charles, who delayed his wedding one day so he could attend.

Rome itself was at a standstill as extraordinary security measures were put in place. Just after midnight Thursday, a ban on vehicle traffic in the city center took effect. Airspace was closed, and anti-aircraft batteries outside the city were on alert. Naval ships patrolled both the Mediterranean coast and the Tiber near Vatican City, the tiny sovereign city-state encompassed by the Italian capital.

Covering all the intersections
Elite Carabinieri paramilitary police armed with automatic rifles were stationed at virtually every major intersection in Rome.

Combat jets from Italy’s air force, joined by an AWACS surveillance plane deployed by NATO, guarded against any strike from above. Italian security agencies posted snipers on rooftops.

Three hours after the funeral, an Italian F-16 jet fighter intercepted a suspicious plane heading to Rome’s Ciampino airport and escorted it to a local military airfield, Italian news agencies reported. The ANSA agency quoted air force chief Leonardo Tricarico as saying intelligence indicated there might be a bomb on the plane, but none was found.

Officials in Belgrade said the plane had been sent to fly home the official delegation from Serbia-Montenegro, but it was not immediately clear if this was the same plane.

The pope’s death on Saturday at age 84 elicited a remarkable outpouring of affection worldwide.

In Krakow, Poland, where John Paul studied for the priesthood, about 800,000 people watched the funeral on three TV screens set up in a field. Many had spent the night around bonfires after a Thursday night Mass drew a million people.

Sirens wailed in Warsaw for three minutes to announce the start of the funeral to the Polish capital. Some 25,000 people packed Pilsudski Square where the pope celebrated Mass during his first visit to his homeland as pope.

The faithful also gathered across Africa, Asia and in the Americas to watch the service on television or to pray for John Paul.

Before the Mass, there was an intimate ceremony inside the basilica, attended only by high-ranking prelates, who placed a pouch of silver and bronze medals and a scrolled account of his life in his coffin.

The scroll said John Paul’s “love for the young” inspired him to begin World Youth Days. The account traces his life from his birth through his election as pope and mentions highlights of his papacy, including his efforts to reach out to Jews and other non-Catholics and his travels with a “tireless missionary spirit.”

A white silk veil
His longtime private secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, and the master of the liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Piero Marini, placed a white silk veil over the pope’s face before the coffin was closed.

Dziwisz was seen weeping at several occasions during the Mass.

In his will, released by the Vatican on the eve of the funeral, John Paul gave instructions for his burial and also told Dziwisz to burn his personal notes upon his death. He also suggested he considered resigning in 2000, when his infirmities were already apparent. Revising his will just three days before a historic pilgrimage to the Holy Land, John Paul prayed that God would “help me to recognize up to what point I must continue this service.”

On Thursday, the huge bronze doors of St. Peter’s were closed to the public in preparation for the Mass. In four days, some estimates say nearly 2 million pilgrims passed by his bier to pay their last respects.

The College of Cardinals will meet beginning April 18 in its conclave to elect a successor.

Rome groaned under the weight of visitors. Side streets were clogged in a permanent pedestrian rush hour, mostly by kids with backpacks. Tent camps sprang up at the Circus Maximus and elsewhere around the city to take the spillover from hotels. Hawkers jacked up prices of everything from bottled water to papal trinkets.

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