Mourners gather for Pope's funeral

Tuesday, 5 April 2005 12:00 AM

Thousands of mourners have gathered in Rome in preparation for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Last night many stayed up all night for the chance to pay their respects to the Pope in St Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The body of Pope John Paul II, who died on Saturday at the age of 84, is lying in state in the basilica until his funeral and Vatican burial on Friday morning.

Up to two million Roman Catholic pilgrims from all over the world are expected to arrive in the next few days and queue for hours to file past the Polish pontiff's body.

The basilica was originally supposed to close for three hours at night for maintenance, but the sheer number of people waiting outside meant it was closed for just an hour and a half early this morning.

World leaders have also come in droves to pay their respects to a man who helped bring down communism in Europe and stamped a rigid orthodoxy on Catholicism during his 26-year pontificate.

Prince Charles, Prime Minister Tony Blair and US president George Bush are among those expected to attend the funeral on Friday.

Catholic cardinals from all over the world now have the difficult task of choosing a successor for the Pope from their midst.

The 117 princes of the church are meeting this week to decide the date for the start of conclave, where they will discuss John Paul's successor.

Conservatives are keen to continue the Pope's uncompromising stance on abortion, contraception and women priests, while liberals want a more moderate leader who could reconcile many alienated Catholics in Europe and North America.

There is also the suggestion of appointing a pope from the developing world, from Africa or Latin America, where the majority of Catholics live.

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