vatican

Final Mourners Get Last View of Pope

By Chris Mitchell
Middle East Bureau Chief

CBN.com – THE VATICAN - The longest viewing procession in modern times will soon come to a solemn end. But the final thousands are still in line to honor the people's pope.

President Bush joined an estimated one million people at the vigil Wednesday, along with a very high-level delegation. He will be first U.S. president ever to attend a papal funeral.

For many who stood in line for 12 or 13 hours, the ordeal was exhausting. And some who came from many miles did not get in.

One person in line remarked, “It is a pity that everyone who came here couldn't get the chance to go in. Everybody tried hard, but unfortunately not everyone can go in to see him."

With so many dignitaries in attendance, Italy's security force is a massive one. Authorities plan to shut down Rome's air space, and NATO will back them up.

Helicopters hovered over the Vatican, and boats patrolled the historic river Tiber, in the city's heart.

But it is the heart of Pope John Paul II that grips both the residents of Rome and their foreign visitors.

Soon, the attention will turn to the College of Cardinals, who will choose John Paul's successor. But many of the cardinals who met Wednesday made it clear that, for now, they would rather not be in the limelight.

Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, Archbishop of Vienna, said, “It's not the time to give interviews. It's the time to pray and say thanks to the great Holy Father for this great pope, and what he has given to us and to the whole world.”

For at least one more momentous day, that will be the prevailing sentiment in Rome.

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