CONCERNING THE LIFE AND DEATH
OF POPE JOHN PAUL II

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Overview:

Pope John Paul II, (1920 - 2005) died on 2005-APR-02 at 9:37 PM (2:37 PM EST) in his private apartment in Rome at the age of 84. He held the office for 26 years. Only one other pope in history served for a longer interval.

Pope John Paul II suffered for about a decade from the ravages of Parkinson's disease. Two of the intimate group who were at John Paul II's bedside when he died say that his final word was "amen" (may it be so).

Over two million people viewed his body as it laid in state in St. Peter's Basilica. His funeral was held on 2005-APR-8. It was attended by over 200 world leaders. He was buried in the crypt under St. Peter's Basilica, which is now open to visitors.

Topics covered in this section:

Public opinion: CNN.com invited visitors to its news web site to send brief notes sharing their views on the death of the pope. They received thousands of responses, from: