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Pope is scheduled for burial on Friday in St. Peter's Basilica grotto
Victor L. Simpson
Associated Press
Issue date: 4/6/05 Section: In The Spirit
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VATICAN CITY (AP) _ With tens of thousands of pilgrims converging Monday on Rome, the Vatican set the funeral of Pope John Paul II for Friday, with burial in the grotto of St. Peter's Basilica, where pontiffs throughout the ages have been laid to rest.
The funeral is expected to draw up to 2 million people, including heads of state from around the world. President Bush and his wife confirmed they would attend, as did Spain's prime minister. Prince Charles put off his wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles for a day so he could attend.
The spokesman said John Paul's body will be carried briefly through St. Peter's Square later Monday en route to the basilica, where a prayer service will be celebrated by Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, the camerlengo, or chamberlain who is the most important official running the church following the pope's death. After the service, the public will be allowed to view the body.
"It's extraordinary. It happens once in a lifetime,'' said Uwe Kunzmann, a civil engineer from Karlsruhe, Germany. ``We want to be in the crowd.''
There had been speculation that the pope might have left orders to be buried in his native Poland, but Navarro-Valls said John Paul ``did not show any such wish.''
The Rev. Eduard Berezowski, who was bringing 50 pilgrims from Gdansk, Poland, for the funeral, said he saw no problems with the burial in St. Peter's.
"It's only right. He was the bishop of Rome,'' he said.
Under Vatican tradition, Friday is the latest the funeral could have been held. John Paul will be buried immediately after the 10 a.m. (4 a.m. EDT) funeral, Navarro-Valls said.
"It will be a moment without precedent,'' Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni told Repubblica Radio on Monday. ``Rome will grind to a halt to guarantee the full development of the demonstration of love for the pontificate, guaranteeing the maximum security for all the heads of state who will arrive to pay homage to the pope.''
The meeting at the Bologna Hall of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace was the first gathering of the world's Roman Catholic cardinals since the pontiff's death. After taking the oath, they were to open any final documents John Paul may have prepared for them.
The funeral is expected to draw up to 2 million people, including heads of state from around the world. President Bush and his wife confirmed they would attend, as did Spain's prime minister. Prince Charles put off his wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles for a day so he could attend.
The spokesman said John Paul's body will be carried briefly through St. Peter's Square later Monday en route to the basilica, where a prayer service will be celebrated by Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, the camerlengo, or chamberlain who is the most important official running the church following the pope's death. After the service, the public will be allowed to view the body.
"It's extraordinary. It happens once in a lifetime,'' said Uwe Kunzmann, a civil engineer from Karlsruhe, Germany. ``We want to be in the crowd.''
There had been speculation that the pope might have left orders to be buried in his native Poland, but Navarro-Valls said John Paul ``did not show any such wish.''
The Rev. Eduard Berezowski, who was bringing 50 pilgrims from Gdansk, Poland, for the funeral, said he saw no problems with the burial in St. Peter's.
"It's only right. He was the bishop of Rome,'' he said.
Under Vatican tradition, Friday is the latest the funeral could have been held. John Paul will be buried immediately after the 10 a.m. (4 a.m. EDT) funeral, Navarro-Valls said.
"It will be a moment without precedent,'' Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni told Repubblica Radio on Monday. ``Rome will grind to a halt to guarantee the full development of the demonstration of love for the pontificate, guaranteeing the maximum security for all the heads of state who will arrive to pay homage to the pope.''
The meeting at the Bologna Hall of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace was the first gathering of the world's Roman Catholic cardinals since the pontiff's death. After taking the oath, they were to open any final documents John Paul may have prepared for them.