Pope's last hours spent with Polish aides
Pope John Paul spent the final hours of his life surrounded by his
closest Polish aides, the Vatican says.
The Pope died at 9:37pm on Saturday local time (5.37am on Sunday AEST)
in his private apartments in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace.
The Vatican said in a statement that the Pontiff's aides had begun
celebrating a mass in the Pope's bedroom.
It was celebrated by his two private secretaries, both of them Polish,
as well as a Polish cardinal and a Polish archbishop.
At the moment of his death, the Pope was surrounded by five Polish
prelates and four Polish nuns who had been looking after him for much
of his papacy.
Three Italian doctors and two nurses were also there.
The Pope received the Sacrament of the Infirm, once known as the Last
Rites, and the Holy Viaticum communion, reserved for those near death.
Only after his death were non-Polish Vatican officials, including
Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, let inside.
They paid their respects and began the ritual Vatican procedures that
follow the death of a pope.
The Vatican said the Pope's body would be brought to St Peter's
Basilica for viewing by the faithful on Monday afternoon at the
earliest.
-Reuters
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