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          Vatican Information Service
             HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE
             V.I.S.    VIS internet

      08.IV.2005
      Fifteenth Year  - N.68

      SUMMARY:

      - MILLIONS, INCLUDING 200 HEADS OF STATE, ATTEND POPE'S FUNERAL
      - BLESS US, HOLY FATHER, FROM THE WINDOW OF THE FATHER'S HOUSE

      ___________________________________________________________

++   MILLIONS, INCLUDING 200 HEADS OF STATE, ATTEND POPE'S FUNERAL

      VATICAN CITY, APR 8, 2005 (VIS) - Before the start of the
funeral Mass today for John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in the
presence of an estimated 300,000 people, including over 200 heads of
State and government, the deceased Pope's body was placed in a
cypress casket and closed in the presence of a number of witnesses.

   Among those present for this rite were Cardinals Martinez
Somalo, camerlengo of Holy Roman Church, Angelo Sodano, former
secretary of state, Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the College of
Cardinals, Camillo Ruini, vicar for the diocese of Rome, Francesco
Marchisano, archpriest of the Vatican Basilica, and Archbishops
Stanislaw Dziwisz, the Holy Father's personal secretary and James
Harvey, prefect of the Papal Household.

   The cardinal camerlengo introduced the rite of the closing
of the casket. Archbishop Piero Marini, master of papal liturgical
ceremonies, then read the "Rogito," a summary of the life of the
Pope, copies of which were signed by those present. An antiphon and
psalm were sung, followed by silent prayer. The master of ceremonies
than placed a veil of white silk over the head of the deceased and
the cardinal camerlengo sprinkled the body with holy water. The
master of ceremonies then placed a bag with some medals coined
during the pontificate of the deceased and a lead tube containing
the original copy of the Rogito in the casket.

       As the casket was closed, Psalm 41 was recited.

   The casket of John Paul II was brought to St. Peter's Square
in procession, placed on a carpet on the ground in front of the main
alter and a book of Gospels was placed on top of the casket and
opened. The procession included the College of Cardinals and the
patriarchs of the Oriental Churches, all in red vestments, who
kissed the altar before taking their places. Mass was presided over
by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and concelebrated by 164 cardinals.

   Millions of people who had come to Rome for John Paul's
funeral but who could not be accommodated in St. Peter's Square
itself, watched the ceremony on 27 giant screens placed throughout
the city, including at the two football stadiums, Tor Vergata
University, the Circus Maximus, the basilicas of St. John Lateran,
St. Mary Major and St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, Piazza del Popolo,
Piazza Risorgimento near the Vatican, the Colosseum and Via della
Conciliazione, the broad avenue leading to St. Peter's Square.

   Many of those in St. Peter's Square, at various times during
the Mass, called out for John Paul II to be proclaimed a saint.
These calls, accompanied by sustained applause, began as Cardinal
Ratzinger finished his homily.   A number of banners could be seen
with the words "Santo Subito" (a saint immediately) and "John Paul
II the Great" and one, with his papal crest, saying "Pope John Paul
II - saint."

   Following the prayer after communion Cardinal Ratzinger
proceeded to the rite of the final recommendation and act of
committal, standing by the casket of John Paul II. Cardinal Ruini
then stood next to the casket, the cantors sang the Litany of Saints
and the cardinal vicar then concluded the supplication of the Church
of Rome with a prayer and returned to his seat.

   At this point the patriarchs and archbishops major and
metropolitans of the Catholic Oriental metropolitan Churches "sui
iuris", went to the casket and, facing the altar, recited the
supplication of the Oriental Churches from the Office of the Dead of
the Byzantine liturgy. Everyone present prayed in silence and
Cardinal Ratzinger sprinkled holy water on the remains while the
choir sang a response.

   The casket of John P
aul II was then brought into the Vatican
Basilica to the place of burial as the faithful sang the Magnificat.
Those present earlier at the closing of the casket accompanied it
into the basilica. John Paul II was brought to the grotto area of
St. Peter's Basilica for burial in a rite presided over by the
cardinal camerlengo.

   The cypress casket with the mortal remains of John Paul II
was tied with red ribbons on which were placed the seals of the
Apostolic Camera, the Prefecture of the Papal Household, the Office
of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff and the Vatican
Chapter. The cypress casket was then placed in the zinc and wood
caskets which were soldered shut and covered with the seals of the
aforementioned offices. On the top are the cross and coat-of-arms of
John Paul II.

   The notary of the Basilica Chapter verified the act of
burial and read it to those present.

   Attending today's funeral Mass for the Holy Father were
reigning monarchs of 10 countries, 57 heads of State, 3 hereditary
princes, 17 heads of government, the heads of 3 international
organizations and representatives from 10 others, 3 spouses of heads
of State, 8 vice heads of State, 6 vice prime ministers, 4
presidents of parliaments, 12 foreign ministers, 13 ministers, and
ambassadors from 24 countries.

   Religious delegations, numbering 140 people, included
representatives from the Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox
Churches, Churches and ecclesial communions of the West,
international Christian organizations, the National Association of
Evangelicals, representatives of Judaism, Islam and delegations from
non-Christian religions. .../FUNERAL:JOHN PAUL II/...     VIS 050408
(850)

++   BLESS US, HOLY FATHER, FROM THE WINDOW OF THE FATHER'S HOUSE

      VATICAN CITY, APR 8, 2005 (VIS) - Below is the English
translation of the homily, delivered in Italian by Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, at the funeral Mass for the Holy Father John Paul II,
held in St Peter's Square this morning:

   "'Follow me.' The Risen Lord says these words to Peter. They
are his last words to this disciple, chosen to shepherd his flock.
'Follow me' - this lapidary saying of Christ can be taken as the key
to understanding the message which comes to us from the life of our
late beloved Pope John Paul II. Today we bury his remains in the
earth as a seed of immortality - our hearts are full of sadness, yet
at the same time of joyful hope and profound gratitude.

       "These are the sentiments that inspire us, Brothers and
Sisters in Christ, present here in Saint Peter's Square, in
neighboring streets and in various other locations within the city
of Rome, where an immense crowd, silently praying, has gathered over
the last few days. I greet all of you from my heart. In the name of
the College of Cardinals, I also wish to express my respects to
Heads of State, Heads of Government and the delegations from various
countries. I greet the Authorities and official representatives of
other Churches and Christian Communities, and likewise those of
different religions. Next I greet the Archbishops, Bishops, priests,
religious men and women and the faithful who have come here from
every Continent; especially the young, whom John Paul II liked to
call the future and the hope of the Church. My greeting is extended,
moreover, to all those throughout the world who are united with us
through radio and television in this solemn celebration of our
beloved Holy Father's funeral.

    "Follow me! As a young student Karol Wojtyla was thrilled
by literature, the theatre, and poetry. Working in a chemical plant,
surrounded and threatened by the Nazi terror, he heard the voice of
the Lord: Follow me! In this extraordinary setting he began to read
books of philosophy and theology, and then entered the clandestine
seminary established by Cardinal Sapieha. After the war he was able
to complete his studies in the faculty of theology of the
Jagiellonian University of Krakow. How often, in his letters to
priests and in his autobiographical books has he spoken to us about
his priesthood, to whi
ch he was ordained on 1 November 1946. In
these texts he interprets his priesthood with particular reference
to three sayings of the Lord. First: 'You did not choose me, but I
chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will
last' (Jn 15:16). The second saying is: 'The good shepherd lays down
his life for the sheep' (Jn 10:11). And then: 'As the Father has
loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love' (Jn 15:9). In these
three sayings we see the heart and soul of our Holy Father. He
really went everywhere, untiringly, in order to bear fruit, fruit
that lasts. 'Rise, Let us be on our Way!' is the title of his
next-to-last book. 'Rise, let us be on our way!' - with these words
he roused us from a lethargic faith, from the sleep of the disciples
of both yesterday and today. 'Rise, let us be on our way!' he
continues to say to us even today. The Holy Father was a priest to
the last, for he offered his life to God for his flock and for the
entire human family, in a daily self-oblation for the service of the
Church, especially amid the sufferings of his final months. And in
this way he became one with Christ, the Good Shepherd who loves his
sheep. Finally, 'abide in my love:' the Pope who tried to meet
everyone, who had an ability to forgive and to open his heart to
all, tells us once again today, with these words of the Lord, that
by abiding in the love of Christ we learn, at the school of Christ,
the art of true love.

   "Follow me! In July 1958 the young priest Karol Wojtyla
began a new stage in his journey with the Lord and in the footsteps
of the Lord. Karol had gone to the Masuri lakes for his usual
vacation, along with a group of young people who loved canoeing. But
he brought with him a letter inviting him to call on the Primate of
Poland, Cardinal Wyszynski. He could guess the purpose of the
meeting: he was to be appointed as the auxiliary Bishop of Krakow.
Leaving the academic world, leaving this challenging engagement with
young people, leaving the great intellectual endeavor of striving to
understand and interpret the mystery of that creature which is man
and of communicating to today's world the Christian interpretation
of our being - all this must have seemed to him like losing his very
self, losing what had become the very human identity of this young
priest. Follow me - Karol Wojtyla accepted the appointment, for he
heard in the Church's call the voice of Christ. And then he realized
how true are the Lord's words: 'Those who try to make their life
secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it' (Lk
17:33). Our Pope - and we all know this - never wanted to make his
own life secure, to keep it for himself; he wanted to give of
himself unreservedly, to the very last moment, for Christ and thus
also for us. And thus he came to experience how everything which he
had given over into the Lord's hands came back to him in a new way.
His love of words, of poetry, of literature, became an essential
part of his pastoral mission and gave new vitality, new urgency, new
attractiveness to the preaching of the Gospel, even when it is a
sign of contradiction.

   "Follow me! In October 1978 Cardinal Wojtyla once again
heard the voice of the Lord. Once more there took place that
dialogue with Peter reported in the Gospel of this Mass: 'Simon, son
of John, do you love me? Feed my sheep!' To the Lord's question,
'Karol, do you love me?,' the Archbishop of Krakow answered from the
depths of his heart: 'Lord you know everything; you know that I love
you.' The love of Christ was the dominant force in the life of our
beloved Holy Father. Anyone who ever saw him pray, who ever heard
him preach, knows that. Thanks to his being profoundly rooted in
Christ, he was able to bear a burden which transcends merely human
abilities: that of being the shepherd of Christ's flock, his
universal Church. This is not the time to speak of the specific
content of this rich pontificate. I would like only to read two
passages of today's liturgy which reflect central elements of his
message. In the first reading, Sai
nt Peter says - and with Saint
Peter, the Pope himself - 'I truly understand that God shows no
partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what
is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the
people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ - he is Lord of
all' (Acts 10:34-36). And in the second reading, Saint Paul - and
with Saint Paul, our late Pope - exhorts us, crying out: 'My
brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown,
stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved' (Phil 4:1).

   "Follow me! Together with the command to feed his flock,
Christ proclaimed to Peter that he would die a martyr's death. With
those words, which conclude and sum up the dialogue on love and on
the mandate of the universal shepherd, the Lord recalls another
dialogue, which took place during the Last Supper. There Jesus had
said: 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' Peter said to him, 'Lord,
where are you going?' Jesus replied: 'Where I am going, you cannot
follow me now; but you will follow me afterward.' (Jn 13:33,36).
Jesus from the Supper went towards the Cross, went towards his
resurrection - he entered into the paschal mystery; and Peter could
not yet follow him. Now - after the resurrection - comes the time,
comes this 'afterward.' By shepherding the flock of Christ, Peter
enters into the paschal mystery, he goes towards the cross and the
resurrection. The Lord says this in these words: '... when you were
younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you
wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and
someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do
not wish to go' (Jn 21:18). In the first years of his pontificate,
still young and full of energy, the Holy Father went to the very
ends of the earth, guided by Christ. But afterwards, he increasingly
entered into the communion of Christ's sufferings; increasingly he
understood the truth of the words: 'Someone else will fasten a belt
around you.' And in this very communion with the suffering Lord,
tirelessly and with renewed intensity, he proclaimed the Gospel, the
mystery of that love which goes to the end (cf. Jn 13:1).

   "He interpreted for us the paschal mystery as a mystery of
divine mercy. In his last book, he wrote: The limit imposed upon
evil 'is ultimately Divine Mercy' (Memory and Identity, pp. 60-61).
And reflecting on the assassination attempt, he said: 'In
sacrificing himself for us all, Christ gave a new meaning to
suffering, opening up a new dimension, a new order: the order of
love ... It is this suffering which burns and consumes evil with the
flame of love and draws forth even from sin a great flowering of
good' (pp. 189-190). Impelled by this vision, the Pope suffered and
loved in communion with Christ, and that is why the message of his
suffering and his silence proved so eloquent and so fruitful.

   "Divine Mercy: the Holy Father found the purest reflection
of God's mercy in the Mother of God. He, who at an early age had
lost his own mother, loved his divine mother all the more. He heard
the words of the crucified Lord as addressed personally to him:
'Behold your Mother.' And so he did as the beloved disciple did: he
took her into his own home (eis ta idia: Jn 19:27) - 'Totus tuus.'
And from the mother he learned to conform himself to Christ.

   "None of us can ever forget how in that last Easter Sunday
of his life, the Holy Father, marked by suffering, came once more to
the window of the Apostolic Palace and one last time gave his
blessing 'urbi et orbi.' We can be sure that our beloved Pope is
standing today at the window of the Father's house, that he sees us
and blesses us. Yes, bless us, Holy Father. We entrust your dear
soul to the Mother of God, your Mother, who guided you each day and
who will guide you now to the eternal glory of her Son, our Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen." .../HOMILY FUNERAL POPE/RATZINGER           VIS
050408 (1880)

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