2008 Woodie Awards
Pope John Paul II Dead at Age 84
Millions mourn the death of the pontiff at the end of his 26-year tenure.
Ken Dilanian, Matthew Schofield, Patricia Montemurri/knight ridder newspapers
Issue date: 4/8/05 Section: News
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The first news of his death came via an e-mail to journalists by the papal spokesman, and then it was announced to an estimated 70,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square. Some wept uncontrollably, others stared in disbelief, and still others bowed their heads in prayer.
"We all feel like orphans this evening," Undersecretary of State Archbishop Leonardo Sandri told the crowd.
The bells of St. Peter's Basilica tolled in a solemn signal of mourning. People streamed into the square and the crowd overflowed into nearby streets.
Many said they knew what happened when they saw the light flick on in the window of John Paul's apartment, three stories above Bernini's colonnade.
"He was so strong, and he always spoke about our problems," said Cotbrina Tosti, 26, who was born the year he ascended to the papacy, and who stood, in tears, in the packed, hushed crowd. "He had his opinions and sometimes they were not ours, but he spoke without judgment and he always spoke with love."
In Washington, President Bush said that "the Catholic Church has lost its shepherd, the world has lost a champion of human freedom, and a good and faithful servant of God has been called home." He said the pontiff "launched a democratic revolution that swept Eastern Europe and changed the course of history.... We will always remember the humble, wise and fearless priest who became one of history's great moral leaders."
From the moment senior church officials told the world on Friday that the pope was dying, the international news media focused on the Vatican with rare intensity, engaging Catholics and non-Catholics alike in the pope's fate. Perhaps not since the September 11 attacks in New York has any single event so dominated the world's attention, a reflection of John Paul II's charisma, humanity and spirituality, which transcended religious doctrine.