MAIN PAGE | FEED BACK | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | JOIN US

World leaders hail pope

as a central figure of the 20th century

Leaders from around the world mourned the death of Pope John Paul II, hailing him as a central figure of the 20th century and a champion of freedom and peace.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the world had lost a religious leader who was revered by Catholics and non-Catholics alike for his "unflinching" struggle for what he believed was good and right.

US President George W. Bush paid tribute to the pope as "one of history's great moral leaders."

Bush highlighted John Paul II's role in launching a democratic revolution that swept eastern Europe and remembered him as an ardent advocate of "a culture of life," one of Bush's favored themes in the deeply religious United States.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was "deeply saddened" by the 84-year-old pontiff's passing.

European Commission head, Jose Manuel Barrosso, hailed the "essential role" played by Pope John Paul II in helping reunify Europe, for which he deserves "the title of the founding father of Europe."

Palestinians were also saddened by the death of John Paul II, remembering him as a pope who supported those suffering from injustice.

Tayeb Abdel Rahim, secretary general of the Palestinian Authority, remembers how the pope had welcomed the Palestinian leadership to the Vatican on several occasions.

Meanwhile Italy's President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi said that Italians were mourning "the loss of a father."

"The pope will be remembered as one of those men of freedom and justice," Ciampi said in a televised address to the nation.

Spain, a mainly Catholic nation, expressed its "profound grief," as Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said the demise of the pontiff "represents the loss of one of the most towering world figures in recent history."

And Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said Pope John Paul II was a towering figure of his time who played a decisive role in ending decades of division and oppression in Europe.

French President Jacques Chirac said he was "deeply moved" and that all of France was now in mourning while German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said that Pope John Paul II had "changed our world" and played a crucial role in the development of a peaceful Europe.

Former US president Bill Clinton hailed the pontiff's role in the downfall of communism.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev called John Paul II "the number one humanist on this planet" and Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany thanked the pope for helping to lift the yoke of communism from Europe.

Croatian President Stipe Mesic lamented an "immeasurable loss for the Catholic Church, all believers and the entire world" and Slovenia's Foreign Minister and current chairman of the OSCE Dimitrij Rupel paid homage to Pope John Paul II "as the most important political personality in Europe during the last 25 years of the twentieth century."

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II expressed her "deep sorrow" over the passing of a man of peace.

"Her majesty remembers the untiring efforts of Pope John Paul II in promoting peace and goodwill throughout the world," she said a statement from Buckingham Palace.

Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo hailed the late pontiff as "an embodiment of the virtue of love" and thanked him for his opposition to the country's former military dictators.

TOP OF PAGE.

.

"Quite apart from his role as a spiritual guide to more than a billion men, women and children, he was a tireless advocate of peace, a true pioneer in interfaith dialogue and a strong force for critical self-evaluation by the Church itself."

- UN Secretary General Kofi Annan

"The world has lost a religious leader who was revered across people of all faiths... He was an inspiration, a man of extraordinary faith, dignity and courage. He never wavered, never flinched, in the struggle for what he thought was good and right."

- British Prime Minister Tony Blair

"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,"

- U.S. President George W. Bush

"Israel, the Jewish people and the entire world, lost today a great champion of reconciliation and brotherhood between the faiths,"

- Israel Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom

"A great man who left his mark all over the world has departed. The death of the pope is a loss for all of humanity, for peace lovers and for the Palestinian people,"

- Tayeb Abdel Rahim

Secretary General

Palestinian Authority.

"In speaking powerfully and eloquently for mercy and reconciliation to people divided by old hatreds and persecuted by abuse of power, the Holy Father was a beacon of light not just for Catholics, but for all people,"

- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton

and wife Senator Hillary Clinton

"We know that Pope John Paul II used his personal stature to fight against communist dictatorships, for a bloodless and peaceful transition. For this all of central and eastern Europe, including all freedom loving citizens of Hungary, must pay their respects to the memory of the holy father,"

- Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany

"The focus and mission of his pontificate were rooted in his vision of the dignity of the human person and its implications for the proper character of social relations, within and between nations,"

- Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern

TOP OF PAGE

.

Pope's body lies in state at the Clementine Room of the Apostolic Palace

The pope, his face serene, was dressed in red and white vestments and a white mitre. He was laid out on a raised velvet-draped dais flanked by two Swiss Guards.

A crucifix, crooked in an elbow, flanked his body to the left. His head, propped on velvet pillows, leaned slightly to the right. On his feet were brown leather shoes.

The pope's body is lying in state at the Clementine Room on the second floor of the Apostolic Palace for officials.

.

THIS MONTH'S HEADLINES...

Here's Great News to our Friends!!!

You may now shop on line with us. Check it out. Visit MetroBizForums' Web Store now.

PLEASE CLICK HERE