World mourns Pope John Paul II
LONDON, England (CNN) -- World leaders have been paying tribute to Pope John Paul II, who died Saturday.
President Bush said: "Americans had special reasons to love the man from Krakow." He described the pope as a source of inspiration for "millions of Americans." Bush called him "one of history's great leaders." (Full story)
French President Jacques Chirac praised Pope John Paul II's "unshakable faith, exemplary authority and admirable ardor" and said he "touched spirits and hearts" with his courage and determination.
"An enlightened and inspired priest, he devoted himself to responding to the search for sense and the thirst for justice that is expressed today on all continents," Chirac said in a statement.
History "will retain the imprint and the memory of this exceptional sovereign pontiff, whose charisma, conviction and compassion carried the evangelical message with unprecedented resonance on the international stage," Chirac added.
Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev said Pope John Paul II's "devotion to his followers is a remarkable example to all of us."
Gorbachev, who once said the collapse of the Iron Curtain would have been impossible without the pope, said the pontiff condemned communism during the two's first meeting in 1989, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. "We had a really interesting, albeit perhaps too emotional conversation," Gorbachev said. "He told me he ... was very, very critical of communism."
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "The reason why there's been such an outpouring of feeling over the past few days is because of the nature of the man himself, and even if you're not a Catholic or you're not a Christian -- in fact even if you have no religious faith at all -- what people could see in Pope John Paul was a man of true and profound spiritual faith, a shining example of what that faith should mean. And for anyone who ever met him -- as I was fortunate enough to -- you could see that very clearly. But actually even people who never met him, never came near him, could see that from afar."
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said: "Pope John Paul II wrote history. Through his work, and through his impressive personality, he changed our world." He praised the pope's work for "peace, human rights, solidarity and social justice."
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said: "We are all grateful for the tireless work and suffering that he bore incessantly against every form of totalitarianism, violence, oppression and moral degradation in the name of the values of the Catholic Church that are also the supreme values of human dignity and solidarity."
Italian President Carlo Ciampi said: "Italians, I cry with you for the Holy Father, the pope who was for us such a close neighbor. We have loved him, we have admired him for the strength of his ideas, for his courage, the passion, the capacity to express values, hope to all of us, especially our youth, youth from all over the world. We have admired his extraordinary openness to the inter-religious dialogue. Italy is in mourning."
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the pope was a man of peace and had been a great supporter of the United Nations. "He ... [was] extremely concerned about the world we lived in, and like me, he also felt that in war, all are losers."
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said: "As the largest Catholic country in the world, where people of several different beliefs live in harmony, Brazil feels sorrowful for the loss of one of the men who positively marked the course of contemporary history."
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo led the nation in expressing a "deep sense of grief" over the death of the pope. "Our people receive the news of his death with a deep sense of grief and loss. He was a holy champion of the Filipino family and of profound Christian values that make everyone of us contemplate every day what is just, moral and sacred in life," Arroyo said. (More Asian reaction)
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said: "It's a great loss for the whole world. We will always remember him as a great man, an advocate of justice and man of peace. The government and people of Pakistan are deeply saddened after hearing the news of his death."
Lech Walesa, leader of Poland's Solidarity movement that won power after a decade of struggle and hastened the collapse of the Soviet bloc, said Polish-born John Paul II inspired the drive to end communism in Eastern Europe. "[Without him] there would be no end of communism, or at least much later and the end would have been bloody," Walesa said.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said: "On behalf of the government and the state of Israel, I would like to express condolences on the passing of Pope John Paul II, and to share in the mourning of millions of Christians and believers in both the state of Israel and around the Christian world. Pope John Paul II was a man of peace and a friend of the Jewish people, who was familiar with the uniqueness of the Jewish people and who worked for an historic reconciliation between the peoples and for the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the Vatican in late 1993. ...Yesterday, the world lost one of the most important leaders of our generation, whose great contribution to rapprochement and unity between peoples, understanding and tolerance will be with us for many years."
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said: "We will miss him as a distinguished religious figure, who devoted his life to defending the values of peace, freedom and equality. He defended the rights of Palestinians, their freedom and independence."
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II spoke of her deep sorrow. "The queen also remembers well the work of Pope John Paul II for Christian unity, including closer ties between the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches," said a statement from Buckingham Palace.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher praised the pontiff's role in toppling communism. "Millions owe him their freedom and self-respect. The whole world is inspired by his example," Thatcher said. "His life was a long struggle against the lies employed to excuse evil. By combating the falsehoods of communism and proclaiming the true dignity of the individual, his was the moral force behind victory in the Cold War."
Former Czech President Vaclav Havel said: "I still very well remember the moment in 1978 when me and my friends learned that Karol Wojtyla was elected the pope. It was a moment of an immense joy for us. I even think that we were so delighted that we danced for joy."
Irish President Mary McAleese said John Paul II had been a pillar of the modern world, serving the Catholic Church and the cause of all humanity.
Cuban President Fidel Castro expressed condolences and declared three days of official mourning beginning Sunday, The Associated Press reported.
In a letter to the Vatican published Sunday on the front page of Juventud Rebelde newspaper, Castro called the pope's passing "sad news" and expressed "the most heartfelt condolences of the Cuban people and government."
"Humanity will preserve an emotional memory of the tireless work of His Holiness John Paul II in favor of peace, justice and solidarity among all people," Castro wrote.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Pope John Paul II had been "a pillar of strength as well as a provider of great compassion and in every proper sense of the term an apostle of peace." Howard lauded the pope as a friend to all Christian denominations. "He advanced the ecumenical movement -- he reached out to Jewish people, to those of the Islamic faith, and was also an inspiration to people of no faith at all," he said.
The Dalai Lama said: "Pope John Paul II was a man I held in high regard. His experience in Poland, then a communist country, and my own difficulties with communists gave us a common ground."
Russian President Vladimir Putin said: "I have very warm recollections of meetings with the pope. He was wise, responsive and open for dialogue."
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
