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Pope John Paul II Forever!
In 1978, 58 year old Polish,
Karol Wojtyla, assumed the title of Pope and for the last 26 years
headed the Roman Catholic church. The first Non-Italian Pope in the last
450 years of the Catholic church died in Rome Saturday at 9:37pm (1:37
pm in Costa Rica.
"Pope John Paul II went home" were the words of Joaquín Navarro Valls,
the officila voice for the church.
The Pope would have completed his 85th birthday next month.
Costa Rican president, Abel Pacheco, signed a decree declaring four days
of national mourning in Costa Rica to observe the passing of the Pope.
The Catedral Metropolitana (Metropolitan Cathedral) as well as many
churches around San José and the country were full of faithful praying
for the Holy Father since the news of the Pope's state of health and
imminent death.
An official mass will be held at the Catedral Metropolitana in San José
at 5pm today (Sunday).
The Pope, leader of over a billion in the world, was born a simple man
in Wadowice, Poland on the 18th of May, 1920. He was chosen to become
the 264th leader of the Catholic church in 1978.
The funeral will be held on Wednesday April 6 following several days of
viewing by the faithful in San Peter's Basilica. Roberto Tovar,
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Costa Rica's Chancellor) will
travelling to Rome to represent Costa Rica at the Pope's funeral.
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