Crowds worldwide recall John Paul II's legacy

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

VATICAN CITY — St. Peter's Square twinkled with the lights of tens of thousands of candles and fluttered with the red and white flags of Pope John Paul II's native Poland — then fell silent at the moment he died a year ago.

There was no dramatic tolling of church bells at 9:37 p.m. as there was in Krakow, Poland — just a brief moment of silence during an evening prayer vigil before the current pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI, told the faithful that John Paul's memory was still very much alive.

"He continues to be present in our minds and our hearts; he continues to communicate his love for God and his love for man …," Benedict said.

In his message, which was broadcast via videolink to Krakow, Benedict recalled John Paul's suffering, which was so evident during his final days and weeks when he was unable to speak and managed only to bless the faithful weakly with his hand.

"His illness, which he faced with courage, made us all aware of human pain, of every physical and spiritual pain; he gave suffering dignity and value, showing that man isn't just worthy for his efficiency and how he appears, but for himself because he is created and loved by God," he said.

John Paul was remembered from Mexico City to India as an advocate for the poor who helped fell communism. Around the world, Roman Catholics praised his legacy and called for his beatification.

Tens of thousands filled Mexico City's Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the most important Catholic shrine in the Americas.

Many of the faithful used mirrors to reflect the morning sun to the heavens as a way of sending the late pope their love. Others carried framed photographs covered in ribbons. One group held a banner reading "Juan Pablo II, God's athlete."

John Paul visited Mexico five times and was received by wildly enthusiastic crowds on each occasion. He called the country "Mexico, ever faithful."

In India, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington, and Sister Nirmala, the successor of Mother Teresa, joined thousands of Indians who paid tribute to John Paul, describing him as an embodiment of peace.

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