World's Press Commemorates Pope's Life

The courage of Pope John Paul II in the face of death, his powerful faith and his influence on international politics were highlighted on Saturday as the international press reported on the life of the "pope of popes."

Poland's press on Saturday prepared Poles for the imminent death of their countryman with headlines such as "Christ opens the door to the pope."

"There is no more hope, according to the news from the Vatican. It is not only Catholics all around the world who have been praying for the pope," the daily Rzeczpospolita said, carrying photos of the faithful in New York, Calcutta and across Poland on its front page.

The bridging of differing faiths by 84-year-old pontiff was praised by the daily Le Matin, of Morocco, where the pope visited in 1985. "He spoke words of hope and friendship and gave a concrete sense to the reconciliation between Islam and the (Catholic) Church," the newspaper said.

"The pope has taught us how to die"

John Paul II's courage in the face of death was highlighted by the British conservative newspaper The Daily Telegraph. The pope "has used the most powerful imagery -- that of a dying man -- to bear witness to the life and death of Christ," said the Telegraph, which concluded "the pope has taught us all how to die."

This theme was also used in the German press, with the conservative daily Die Welt saying the pope has "provided a more profound image of man" beyond strength and good health, an "affirmation for people who are sick, weak and old."

The pontiff shows publicly that "suffering is part of life," write the the Süddeutsche Zeitung daily.

Pope John Paul II was described as "the most important pope since Saint Peter" under the headline of "Pope of Popes" by British conservative daily The Times, which also emphasized his role in taking "Rome to the world."

However, the left-leaning British daily The Guardian asserted that the "pope's authoritarian inclinations have reasserted Rome's control but millions of Catholics have turned away from the church."

Pope's reformation of the church noted by some

The pope's conservative legacy was also noted by Belgian newspaper Le Soir, which said the pope brought the Catholic Church "towards a corseted traditionalism" and made it "a force of stagnation and not a factor of progress."

The British tabloid The Sun noted the pope's "pivotal role in the defeat of communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall." This aspect was also reported by Russian newspapers. "The pope played more than a small part in the collapse of the socialist system," wrote the opposition newspaper Kommersant. "The 1981 attempt on his life, behind which, according to western experts, stands the KGB, is linked to precisely this aspect of his activities," Kommersant added.

But the official government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta also noted the close, personal relationship that existed between former Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his successor Vladimir Putin and the pontiff.

The pope's activities had resulted in a "so far unseen opening of the Catholic Church towards events in the modern world," according to the Croatian newspaper Novi List.

Italian press bid a fond farewell

Italy, home to the Vatican, had the most personal tribute to the pope. "The Long Adieu to the Dying Pope," headlined the Rome's daily La Repubblica, as Corriere della Sera spoke of "The Embrace of the Dying Pope."

"The Love of Rome Accompanies the Pope," assured the Cronaca di Roma.

"Thank You, Wojtyla," said Secolo d'Italia, using the pontiff's Polish family name at birth, while Il Tempo wrote "Ciao, Karol," using his original given name.

In majority Catholic Spain, the press gave blanket coverage to the dying pope. "The Pope in His Final Hours," headlined the conservative, Catholic newspaper ABC. "The Pope's Death Throes," headlined the center-left El Periodico, which carried front-page photographs of crowds of the faithful holding vigils in St Peter's Square.

Even adversaries pay tribute

Even the secular, left-leaning El Pais, which has clashed with Spain's powerful Catholic Church over such issues as gay marriage and contraception, devoted an 11-page spread to the pope following the sharp deterioration of his health on Thursday.

His critical condition was the front page in the press of largely Catholic Nigeria, with the National Interest headline: "End of an Era as Pope John Paul II Battles Death."

In predominantly non-Catholic countries such as Greece, where the Orthodox Church was strongly opposed to the pope, the right-wing daily Eleftheros Typos remarked: "both his enemies and his friends recognize that he has left his mark on the world."

However, one newspaper had the misfortune, due to an early deadline, not to mention the pope's condition. Asked why France's leading Catholic daily's weekend edition had overlooked an event so pivotal for the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics, a spokeswoman for La Croix explained that it went to press on Thursday, the day the pope's health took a dramatic turn for the worse.