Pope John Paul II's funeral will be held Friday morning, and his remains will be interred in the grotto of St. Peter's Basilica where popes throughout the ages have been laid to rest, the Vatican said yesterday.
Chief spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the announcement after the College of Cardinals held two meetings over the course of 2 1/2 hours in its first gatherings ahead of a secret vote later this month to elect a successor to John Paul.
The meeting at the Bologna Hall of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace was the first gathering of the world's Roman Catholic cardinals since the pontiff's death. They were to open any final documents John Paul may have prepared for them and was to set a date for this week's funeral.
The body of John Paul was to emerge from an inner sanctum of the Vatican yesterday afternoon for the public to bid farewell. It was displayed Sunday for prelates, ambassadors and other dignitaries.
Up to 2 million mourners are expected in Rome to pay tribute to the Polish-born prelate who reigned firmly over his flock for 26 years with unbending loyalty to its ancient precepts, resisting calls from modernizers for the church to adapt.
The Vatican's Swiss Guards, who normally wear gaily colored uniforms, were clad in black cloaks yesterday as the official mourning period for the Pope continued.
As tens of thousands of the faithful file past John Paul's bier above the traditional site of St. Peter's tomb, the cardinals in their first preparatory meeting were dealing with the practical arrangements of disposing of the Pope's mortal remains before they get ready to choose who will inherit his mantle.
John Paul himself set an imposing agenda for the cardinals in instructions he drafted in 1996, including the reading of any final documents he may have left for them.
In addition, the cardinals were expected to arrange the destruction of John Paul's Fisherman's Ring and the dies used to make lead seals for apostolic letters -- formal gestures meant to symbolize the end of his reign and to prevent forgeries.
The Pope will be buried some time between tomorrow and Friday, with pageantry reserved for the highest prince of the church and in the presence of many of the world's secular and religious leaders.
The Pope died Saturday of septic shock and cardio-circulatory collapse, but had been struggling with declining health for many years. He was 84.
"Even if we fear we've lost a point of reference, I feel like everybody in this square is united with him in a hug," said Luca Ghizzardi, a 38-year-old nurse among the throng in St. Peter's Square, with a sleeping bag and a handmade peace flag at his feet.
On Sunday, John Paul lay in state in the Vatican's frescoed Apostolic Palace, dressed in crimson vestments and a white bishop's mitre, his head resting on a stack of gold pillows. A rosary was wound around his hands and a staff was tucked under his left forearm. A Swiss Guard stood on either side as diplomats, politicians and clergy paid their respects at his feet.
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