World Catholic Leader Dead

- Rocky!

VATICAN CITY- At 9:37 PM on April 2nd, news came from Pope John Paul II's third floor apartment that he had passed away after leading a 26-year legacy. The tens of thousands roman Catholics praying for the pope were stunned, their beloved pope had died.

He had been battling Parkinson's Disease for over a decade and had been hospitalized twice since February 1. Yet on March 31, the pope's health took a turn for the worse when the Vatican announced that a urinary tract infection had caused a high fever and unstable blood pressure. The next day the Vatican announced that his kidneys and cardio-respiratory system had begun to fail and that he was periodically losing conciseness.

In his last public appearance on Wednesday, March 30 the pope was extremely weak and fragile. Still recovering from a tracheotomy operation on Feb. 24, the pope who was known for his great ability as a communicator could hardly speak at all.

As the first non-Italian pope in 445 years, polish born Karol Wojtyla, held the second or third longest reign as pope looking as far back as 2,000 years. Giancarlo Zizola, one Italian Vatican expert, said on Saturday after the pope's death, "This pope will have a place in history."

Also known as one of the more controversial pope's, Pope John Paul II was strongly against homosexuality, abortions, contraception, and many on other issues. He was criticized for being too traditional as fear of losing worshipers in the Western countries.

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