A Life of Humility Remembered in Pope’s Vatican Funeral

The funeral of Pope John Paul II took place this morning and was watched by tens of thousands in the piazza, over 200 world leaders, and millions more across the globe. The emotional farewell to the Pope began at 10am local time (8am GMT) and lasted for approximately 3 hours.

Pope John Paul's plain coffin reflected the unpretentious life-style he had led during his 26 year papacy. The coffin, made of blonde cypress wood, had only a slender cross and the letter M for Mary, unlike many of his predecessors who have been buried in a majestic marble sarcophagus.

John Paul's wishes were stated in his will on March 13, 1992, that he wished to be buried in bare earth and "not in a sarcophagus". No personal property was left in his will, and only a few everyday items were asked to be distributed by his personal secretary.

The Pope’s body was carried in the coffin and taken to the steps of St Peter’s Basilica – where 26 years ago the Pontiff first emerged to lead the Roman Catholic Church for more than a quarter of a century.

Previously the Pope’s body was prepared for the funeral and enclosed in the coffin in an hour-long ritual, which began with a prayer by Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, "Dear brothers and sisters. We are here to carry out some acts of human pity before the funeral mass of the Roman Pontiff, Pope John Paul." Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the Pope’s long-serving private secretary and the Master of Ceremonies, Archbishop Piero Marini, placed a white silk veil on John Paul’ face.

The cypress coffin was placed inside a second one made of zinc, and then a third made of walnut which bears his papal coat of arms and a cross . The two coffins are to slow down the decomposition process.

The Pope body will rest in the crypt underneath St Peter's Basilica, the same site which Pope John XXIII had been laid to rest until his corpse was disentombed for public display in the Basilica above.