More from from Rome and beyond

• IRELAND DEBATES 'DAY OF MOURNING' | 12:16 a.m. ET

Ireland's prime minister directed government buildings to fly the flag at half-staff Monday in honor of Pope John Paul II, but he stirred arguments by refusing to declare a national holiday for the pontiff’s funeral Friday.

Bertie Ahern faced widespread calls to authorize a “national day of mourning” in Ireland, an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nation, to coincide with the pope’s funeral. Ireland observed such an exceptional holiday following the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

The premier said government employees and teachers would be allowed to take Friday off “to attend an appropriate service,” and he urged private employers to permit the same privilege. He said the country’s 4 million citizens should use the coming five days “to personally reflect on the life and contribution of Pope John Paul II.”

Employers accused people of trying to exploit the pope’s death to get out of work, while labor unions accused Ahern of making things tougher for working parents by letting schools close.

“As religious ceremonies can be attended before or after work, there should be no disruption to business,” said Turlough O’Sullivan, director general of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, which represents more than 7,000 employers.

• CONTROVERSY IN FRANCE | 11:06 p.m. ET

Secularists criticized the French government Monday for lowering flags to half-staff out of respect for Pope John Paul II, calling it an attack on the country’s century-old separation of church and state.

“The French Republic should not descend to such a level,” said Socialist Sen. Michel Charasse, a former finance minister. “If the Dalai Lama were to die tomorrow, would we lower the flags to half-staff?”

The Communist mayor of Aniane refused to lower flags in the picturesque village in southern France, the mayor’s office said.

Cardinal Bernard Panafieu of Marseille disputed the critics’ view.

Lowering flags “in no way damages secularism, which we ourselves strongly support,” he said. “It’s simply a sign that there are people in the world who transcend ideologies and borders because they are men of peace and reconciliation.”

• CASTRO PRAISES POPE AS FRIEND OF PEACE, THE POOR | 7:35 p.m. ET

Cuban President Fidel Castro, paying his last respects to the only pontiff to visit Cuba, called Pope John Paul II on Monday an “indefatigable warrior” who fought for peace and the world’s poor.

“Your departure pains us, unforgettable friend, and we fervently wish your example is lasting,” Castro wrote in the book of condolences at the Papal Nunciature.

“Rest in peace, indefatigable warrior for friendship between peoples, enemy of war and friend of the poor,” he wrote.

Castro thanked the late pontiff for condemning U.S. sanctions against communist Cuba as “ethically unacceptable” during his historic visit to the Caribbean island in January 1998.

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