Rome prepares for the funeral of John Paul II
Rome (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Millions of Catholics are gathering for the funeral of Pope John Paul II, which about 200 world leaders will attend. St Peter's Square was closed overnight so it could be prepared for the funeral beginning at 10 o'clock.
At dawn tens of thousands of mourners who had slept out on roads leading to the square were allowed in. Hundreds of millions of people will watch the event on TV.
Officials in Rome urged pilgrims to stay in special tented areas on the outskirts of the city and watch the funeral on video screens.
"We don't want to watch on television," said Serena, from Naples, who has spent two nights in the open with her husband and two daughters. "We want to be here. We love him. If you lose a friend, a big friend, what do you do?".
Hundreds of thousands of people from John Paul II's homeland, Poland, are arriving in Rome, and many more will follow the funeral on their televisions and radios at home.
Among those attending are US President George W Bush, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei - both of them Muslims - are also taking part.
The three-hour ceremony will be conducted by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals.
At the end of the requiem Mass, the Pope will be buried in the crypt below St Peter's Basilica, under a simple stone slab.
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