With less than 24 hours gone since the Head of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide - Pope John Paul II passed away, the whole world seems to have stopped to mourn and remember the life of this great religious man.
Catholics all over the world flocked to the churches to attend special Sunday Services to mark the death of the Pope. In the UK, an estimated 5.5 million-strong Roman Catholics expressed deep grief and praise for this spiritual leader.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, held a requiem mass at London's Westminster Cathedral. The Catholic wife of the British Prime Minister, Cherie Blair, British Health Secretary John Reid, were among the congregation. The Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is Anglican but attends mass with his wife, said the pontiff was respected by people of all faiths.
"Even if you are not a Catholic, even if you are not a Christian, even if you have no religious faith at all, what people could see in Pope John Paul was a man of true and profound spiritual faith, a shining example of what that faith should mean," Blair said, "I think that is the reason why the world has, in this rather extraordinary way, come together to mark his passing."
Today the UK’s national flag at Buckingham Palace was raised half-mast to express the "deep sorrow" of the Royal Family.
A statement issued on Saturday by Buckingham Palace read, "Her majesty remembers the untiring efforts of Pope John Paul II in promoting peace and goodwill throughout the world."
The Queen praised the Pope "for Christian unity including closer ties between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches".
