Word: basilicas
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...early clue to how Pope Benedict XVI may veer from the path of his predecessor will be on display Saturday at St. Peter's Basilica. For the first two beatifications of his papacy, Benedict is not only moving the proceedings indoors but also delegating the task to an underling. After Pope John Paul II turned beatifications into major events by presiding over each ceremony, often in front of vast crowds in St. Peter's Square, Benedict is reverting to having the Mass led by a designated Cardinal or bishop, which will probably garner less attention from the world's faithful...
Wearing white chasubles, a grand assemblage of Roman Catholic bishops will file through St. Peter's Square and into the basilica next Sunday to con-celebrate a Mass with Pope John Paul II. The stately ritual will mark the beginning of a two-week world synod of bishops, summoned by the Pope to commemorate and evaluate the results of the Second Vatican Council, which concluded 20 years...
...John Paul II's longtime spokesman. Getting there, through the throngs of people on the streets of Vatican City was a major challenge. Watching on TV, you will have seen the hundreds of thousands jamming onto the Via Della Conciliazione, the wide boulevard leading up to St. Peter's Basilica. But what you don't see on TV is that the parallel side streets are also packed, wall to wall. The crowd here is of a scale unlike anything I've ever seen. Rubbing shoulders with the tens of thousands of the faithful are cardinals, bishops and their staff...
...crowds hardly thin out, even into the night. The Basilica is closed for cleaning from 3 am to 5 am, but most of the people outside simply wait patiently for it to reopen. And they appear to be deeply moved by the experience of being part of this history unfolding before them. They chant the rosary, and sometimes just the name "Giovanni Paolo" in a rhythmic chorus, as they wait for hours to get a few seconds glance at the pontiff as they pass by his body...
...believer in tradition, but infinitely curious about other cultures. Ultimately, John Paul II opted for continuity in his choice of burial, and his body will be placed in the same part of the crypt where the body of Pope John XXIII had lain before it was moved into the basilica following his beatification. Given his popularity, it's quite likely that John Paul II will eventually also be beatified, and moved into the basilica...