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essential · #1 (**permalink**) 02 Apr 2005, 17:51

Pope Edges Near Death As Faithful Pray and Wait

By Daniel Williams
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, April 2, 2005; Page A01

 <nitf> VATICAN CITY, April 1 -- Pope John Paul II struggled on the edge of death Friday, his breathing shallow and his kidneys and circulation failing as millions of Roman Catholics around the world left their homes and workplaces to light candles and pray for him.</nitf>

<nitf> From his bed in his Vatican apartment, he listened to a reading of the story of Jesus's crucifixion, made the sign of the cross repeatedly and co-celebrated a Mass, according to an emotional Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the Vatican spokesman. The pontiff, 84, was "lucid, fully aware, and, I must say, very serene," Navarro-Valls said.</nitf>

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A group of nuns pray in St. Peter's Square, where thousands of Roman Catholics gathered throughout the day and evening on Friday as Pope John Paul II's health continued to deteriorate. (Stefano Rellandini -- Reuters)
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<sup>_____</sup>Catholics Pray<sup>_____</sup>

• Photo Gallery: Catholics across the world pray for the ailing Pope John Paul II as he nears death.
• Video: Cardinal McCarrick remembers the pope.
• Video: Catholic religous leaders urge the faithful to pray for Pope John Paul II.
• Video: Mass is held at Washington's Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle.
• Video: The Post's Robin Wright shares her experiences covering the pope with washingtonpost.com's Terry Neal.

<sup>_____</sup>Live Video<sup>_____</sup>

• Live Video From St. Peter's Square

<sup>_____</sup>More From The Post<sup>_____</sup>

• After Resolute Leadership, an Uncertain Path (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• A Vigil Of Hope For Beloved Compatriot (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• Catholics Crowd into Churches to Pay Respect (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• Under Windows, Pilgrims, Tourists Mill About and Pray (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• Worshipers Pray for a Most Familiar Holy Figure (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td height="1" width="228"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="226"></td></tr></tbody></table> <table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="228"><tbody><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#cccccc" width="228"><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="226"><tbody><tr><td align="left" width="226">

<sup>_____</sup>Religion News<sup>_____</sup>

• Under Windows, Pilgrims, Tourists Mill About and Pray (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• Catholics Crowd into Churches to Pay Respect (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• Albania Wary of Extremist Inroads (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• More Religion Stories
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</td></tr></tbody></table> </td></tr><tr><td height="1" width="228"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="226"></td></tr></tbody></table>  </td></tr></tbody></table> <nitf>With ominous bulletins and special services, the church began preparing the world for the death of its leader of 26 years. "This evening or this night, Christ flings open the doors to the pope," Archbishop Angelo Comastri, the pope's vicar general for Vatican City, told a crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square beneath the window of the pope's illuminated apartment.</nitf>

<nitf> The pope's assistant as bishop of Rome, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, celebrated a special evening Mass at St. John Lateran Basilica, the pope's own diocesan church. "We pray for him," Ruini said of the pontiff, "as we, like him, trust ourselves to the will of the Lord. . . . The Holy Father is seeing and touching the Lord." </nitf>

<nitf> In Wadowice, Poland, where John Paul was baptized in 1920 as Karol Wojtyla, townspeople gathered at the local church to pray and wait. In countries as diverse as the Philippines, France, the United States, Peru, Congo, Australia and Thailand, the faithful came together for special vigils. </nitf>

<nitf>On Thursday night, John Paul received Holy Viaticum, a special Holy Communion provided to Catholics as they near death, according to Vatican officials.</nitf>

<nitf> The pope suffered heart failure and oscillating blood pressure Friday after developing a urinary tract infection Thursday, the Vatican said. Informed of the gravity of the situation, he gave instructions that he would rather remain in the Vatican than reenter Gemelli Polyclinic hospital in Rome, where he has been treated over the years for a variety of illnesses, the Vatican said.</nitf>

<nitf> In February, he underwent throat surgery at Gemelli to relieve difficulty in breathing, which is a common symptom of advanced Parkinson's disease, from which he suffers. His decision Friday to stay put in his apartment was widely seen as a sign that nothing could be done to reverse his decline. </nitf>

<nitf>There is a saying in Rome that a prophet does not die outside of Jerusalem and popes don't die outside the Vatican.</nitf>

<nitf> "The general conditions and cardiorespiratory conditions of the Holy Father have further worsened," Navarro-Valls said in a statement. "A gradual worsening of arterial hypotension has been noted, and breathing has become shallow. The clinical picture indicates cardiocirculatory and renal insufficiency. </nitf>

<nitf>"The biological parameters are notably compromised."</nitf>

<nitf> Navarro-Valls provided a sometimes contradictory description of the pope's condition, saying at one point that he was "stable," but describing his blood pressure as "unstable." Vatican pronouncements have often lagged behind the deterioration of the pope's health. </nitf>

<nitf>John Paul was being treated by his chief physician, Renato Buzzonetti, along with two emergency room specialists, a cardiologist, an ear, nose and throat specialist and two nurses. </nitf>

<nitf> On Friday morning, the pope received visits from his chief aides, one by one. Among them were Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican's secretary of state; Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican's senior guardian of dogma; Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, the assistant secretary of state who has delivered the mute pope's messages; Cardinal Edmund Szoka, the American administrative governor of Vatican City; and Ruini.
</nitf>

Pope Edges Near Death As Faithful Pray and Wait

 <nitf> Ruini described the visit in a television interview: "I prayed with him for a moment, which profoundly moved me. The pope has left himself in God's hands." He called on Catholics to pray for the pope, another traditional signal of the grave state of a pontiff's health. "We want to be close to him in this hour through the same loving closeness with which John Paul II has accompanied us for nearly 27 years."</nitf>

<nitf>At a news conference, Navarro-Valls's voice broke in despair on several occasions as he described the deterioration of a pope once known for his physical vigor.</nitf>

<table id="contentColumn" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td>   <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="228"> <tbody><tr>  <td align="left" valign="top" width="228">

A group of nuns pray in St. Peter's Square, where thousands of Roman Catholics gathered throughout the day and evening on Friday as Pope John Paul II's health continued to deteriorate. (Stefano Rellandini -- Reuters)
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
<table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="228"><tbody><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#cccccc" width="228"><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="226"><tbody><tr><td align="left" width="226">

<sup>_____</sup>Catholics Pray<sup>_____</sup>

• Photo Gallery: Catholics across the world pray for the ailing Pope John Paul II as he nears death.
• Video: Cardinal McCarrick remembers the pope.
• Video: Catholic religous leaders urge the faithful to pray for Pope John Paul II.
• Video: Mass is held at Washington's Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle.
• Video: The Post's Robin Wright shares her experiences covering the pope with washingtonpost.com's Terry Neal.

<sup>_____</sup>Live Video<sup>_____</sup>

• Live Video From St. Peter's Square

<sup>_____</sup>More From The Post<sup>_____</sup>

• After Resolute Leadership, an Uncertain Path (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• A Vigil Of Hope For Beloved Compatriot (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• Catholics Crowd into Churches to Pay Respect (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• Under Windows, Pilgrims, Tourists Mill About and Pray (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• Worshipers Pray for a Most Familiar Holy Figure (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td height="1" width="228"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="226"></td></tr></tbody></table> <table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="228"><tbody><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#cccccc" width="228"><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="226"><tbody><tr><td align="left" width="226">

<sup>_____</sup>Religion News<sup>_____</sup>

• Under Windows, Pilgrims, Tourists Mill About and Pray (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• Catholics Crowd into Churches to Pay Respect (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• Albania Wary of Extremist Inroads (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2005)
• More Religion Stories
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</td></tr></tbody></table> </td></tr><tr><td height="1" width="228"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="226"></td></tr></tbody></table>  </td></tr></tbody></table> <nitf>He said that "the Holy Father -- with visible participation -- is joining in the continual prayers of those assisting him. This is surely an image I have never seen in these 26 years." </nitf>

<nitf> Despite his steady and alarming decline, the pope asked to observe several religious customs in his apartment, Vatican statements said.</nitf>

<nitf>At 7:15 a.m. Friday, he requested the reading of the 14 Stations of the Cross, representing the steps Jesus took to death and burial in Jerusalem. "He crossed himself at the reading of each station," Navarro-Valls said. Earlier, lying in bed, he co-celebrated Mass as a rosy dawn broke in Rome.</nitf>

<nitf>Cardinal Andrzej Maria Deskur, a friend of the pope and a fellow Pole, said flatly, "He is fading serenely."</nitf>

<nitf> "I think he is suffering a lot. Very much," said Szoka. "He breathes with heavy labor. It's terrible."</nitf>

<nitf> The Italian news agency Adnkronos, without citing sources, reported Friday evening that a brain monitor hooked to the pope had gone flat. But a senior Vatican official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the pope was still alive and there was no such monitoring device in his apartment.</nitf>

<nitf> In the middle of the distressing health news, Vatican officials announced Friday afternoon that the pope had formally accepted the resignations of six bishops, appointed 17 new bishops and archbishops and named two new Vatican ambassadors. Commentators quoted by news services and on television declined to read definitive meaning into the papal acts. </nitf>

<nitf> During the day, Romans, pilgrims and tourists idled in St. Peter's Square awaiting some sign from the windows of the papal apartment. Hundreds lined up to enter St. Peter's Basilica, where John Paul made his first appearance as pope 26 years ago, the first non-Italian in the papacy in four centuries. </nitf>

<nitf>Police blocked traffic into the main artery leading to the square and basilica Friday and meandered among the crowd, while reporters and television crews conversed in a Babel of languages, kept outside the huge plaza by police and metal barricades.</nitf>

<nitf> The pope's last public appearance took place Wednesday, when he was wheeled up to his apartment window to bless a throng in the plaza. He was unable to speak coherently, but made the sign of the cross with his right hand. On Easter, he spent 12 minutes at the window, sometimes writhing in apparent agony and twisting his mouth as if trying to scream.</nitf>

<nitf> In Washington, press secretary Scott McClellan said the White House was in close contact with the Vatican about the pope's failing health. Chief of Staff Andrew Card was keeping President Bush up to date on the pope's condition. "The president and Mrs. Bush join people all across the world who are praying for the Holy Father. He's in our thoughts and prayers," McClellan told reporters.</nitf>

<nitf> Bush has met John Paul twice at the Vatican. </nitf>

<nitf>"The outpouring of love across the world is a testimony to the greatness of the pope," McClellan said. "The pope is an inspiration to millions of Americans and people all over the world for his great moral leadership." </nitf>

keep him in your prayers. - essential

essential · #2 (**permalink**) 03 Apr 2005, 12:57

It seem's he passed away early today, R.I.P

Great Otaku · #3 (**permalink**) 03 Apr 2005, 15:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by essential

It seem's he passed away early today, R.I.P

Aye, I heard he died heroicly...

sumiyoshi · #4 (**permalink**) 04 Apr 2005, 16:01

the pope ruled. it's too bad he died..

at least he did end up having a long life

though.

hypermelissa · #5 (**permalink**) 08 Apr 2005, 08:18

Whoa! It appears that you actually care since you typed up all that and even put up a photo! Though you probably just copy and pasted it. I don't see what the big deal of an old man dying though. So its the pope, they'll just stick another old guy in the position. I do care that his death made my regular tv programing be gone. Er, yeah....I'm sure people are going to be yelling at me for this post but whatever.

ilovetigers_34 · #6 (**permalink**) 08 Apr 2005, 09:17

i ain't
being an atheist(assuming) is no prob 4 me... i am 2:P

but yeh i will mis TV....owel:P

seriously i couldn't wait 4 him 2 die.... he was becoming useless...couldn't even speek.....

stupid catholic rules.... forbidding.... godamn retirement.... let him rest in peace....THEN DIE!!

Travis

hypermelissa · #7 (**permalink**) 08 Apr 2005, 09:39

I'm not athesist. I'd be Wican but good guess. I'd say that's true about the retirement thing. BTW have you heard about Pope John Paul 1? He was only in for a couple of monthes and he didn't get all this. He was cremated quickly and didn't even get an autopsy. I believe he was assasinated but that's only my opinion. He knew things(I think so anyways) that could bring alot of the rich and powerful down and he wanted birthcontrol. Why does everything have to be so damned corupted?

windborn · #8 (**permalink**) 08 Apr 2005, 16:53

Seriously, I don't know what the fuss is about either. I wouldn't go so far as to say he obviously wanted to die, but his illnesses have caused him great pain for a long time. You would think that people would be elated that he has finally passed away/ascended whatever and gotten his release from the constant pain.

-psycho- · #9 (**permalink**) 08 Apr 2005, 20:22

i'm supposed to be a christian and i'm supposed to mourn his death, but i really dont care, the pope dies 20 days later another pope comes along the way and takes his place, i have no clue why ppl even bother to get a new pope so fast anyways.. it's not like we're gonna get any better off it if we get a new pope , and were deffinetly not gonna get any worse about it if there wont be a new pope...

essential · #10 (**permalink**) 08 Apr 2005, 21:33

" i'm supposed to be a christian and i'm supposed to mourn his death, but i really dont care, the pope dies 20 days later another pope comes along the way and takes his place, i have no clue why ppl even bother to get a new pope so fast anyways.. it's not like we're gonna get any better off it if we get a new pope , and were deffinetly not gonna get any worse about it if there wont be a new pope... "

True lol, I just don't wanna go to hell... but apparantly he was a good man, and did some good things... ehh I didn't type that up