Belize represented at Pope’s funeral

If you woke up early this morning to watch the farewell service for Pope John Paul II, you were in good company. Millions of people witnessed the spectacular event via TV or on giant screens in public squares, cathedrals and churches all over the world. At least two million people filed past the Pope’s body as it lay in state this week, and three hundred thousand people crowded into St. Peter’s Square and surrounding streets for today’s public mass. Pilgrims from all over the world, including the Pope’s native Poland, gathered with kings, prime ministers, presidents, and ambassadors representing both Christian and non-Christian nations. Belize was represented by non-resident ambassador to Italy, Nunzio D’Angieri, who made a special envoy on behalf of Prime Minister Said Musa. When the mass ended, bells tolled and the Pope’s coffin was carried back into the Basilica for a private interment ceremony attended only by Vatican prelates. The College of Cardinals will begin meeting on April eighteenth to choose a successor. Pope John Paul II visited Belize on a regional tour in 1983.