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VATICAN CITY, Apr 5 (AP): Falling silent, whispering the rosary and clasping their hands, tens of thousands of pilgrims paid their final respects to Pope John Paul II Monday after his body was carried on a crimson platform to St. Peter's Basilica.
Incense wafted through the church where he will be laid to rest Friday in an ancient grotto holding the remains of popes through the ages, immediately after a funeral to be attended under heavy security by President Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and dozens of other world leaders.
There was no stopping for a lingering view, a motionless moment of reflection. Many wept as they walked past the bier. Some collapsed against the wall outside after leaving the basilica, designed by Bramante and Michelangelo and dedicated in 1626.
People who had never had an audience with the pope felt as if they had lost a dear one. "Every time I saw him (on television) he told me something, he gave me a message," said Silvia Sandon (23), a student in Rome, after viewing the body. "Now, I just saw him."
"His face was suffering," said Sister Emma, a 76-year-old Italian nun. "I felt a sense of sadness, even though I know he's in heaven."
On John Paul's feet were a pair of the simple brown leather shoes he favoured during his 26-year pontificate and wore on many of his trips to more than 120 countries - a poignant reminder of the legacy left by history's most-travelled pope.
The crowd cheerfully chanted and clapped hands on the street leading to St. Peter's Square as it moved slowly toward the basilica. As soon it entered the square, people fell silent as if they were entering a sacred place. Their glimpse of the pope's remains was quick at best, as police whispered "Hurry up."
But some still managed to snap photographs with cell phones as they passed John Paul's body, clad in a scarlet velvet robe, his head crowned with a white bishop's mitre and a staff topped with a crucifix tucked under his left arm.
In London, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Charles postponed his wedding until Saturday so that he could attend the 10 a.m. (4 a.m. EDT) funeral. In Guyana, the 34-nation Organisation of American States postponed an election for a new chief.
Cuban President Fidel Castro announced three days of national mourning beginning Sunday, and Hungary will hold a national day of mourning Friday. But in Ireland, an overwhelmingly Catholic nation, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern stirred arguments by refusing to do the same.
AFP from Taipei adds: President Chen Shui-bian is unlikely to attend Pope John Paul II's funeral in person as he would have to travel through Italy, which has no diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
Chen was invited to Friday's funeral by the Vatican, the only European state that recognises Taipei rather than Beijing, but a special envoy will probably attend in his place due to diplomatic pressure from China, the ministry said.
"We're working towards the direction of dispatching a special envoy on behalf of president Chen," foreign ministry spokesman Michel Lu told the news agency, adding that a candidate had yet to be decided.
Among those who have confirmed their attendance are US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
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