CNN correspondents view pope's body
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VATICAN CITY (CNN) -- Two CNN correspondents who were among those viewing the body of Pope John Paul II on Monday described the experience as "emotional" and "moving."
"It's quite emotional, what was happening this morning," said Correspondent Jim Bittermann.
He and Rome Bureau Chief Alessio Vinci were among a select group of journalists who covered the pope during his lifetime and were invited to pay their respects to the pontiff before his body is moved later Monday to St. Peter's Basilica from the Apostolic Palace.
"It does really affect you seeing him like this without life," Vinci said. "I am one of the junior reporters at the Vatican. And in this Vatican press corps there are correspondents who have been covering him 20 years, 27 years. Even they were extremely emotional. I saw some crying.
"That doesn't happen all that often. The last time I saw a colleague crying, it was 9/11. That gives you an idea how powerful this moment is."
Bittermann said about 200 journalists were among 2,000 to 3,000 people who filed past the pope's body lying in the Sala Clementina, where he used to welcome foreign dignitaries. It was, he said, a "very respectful scene, very quiet scene."
Upon entering the hall, "you notice immediately the pope's body lying in state at the far end," Bittermann said. While the crowd is being ushered through, members at times will spontaneously begin saying the rosary, he said.
"When you actually get to the foot of the pope, it's hard not to notice the way he's dressed and the way he's positioned," Bittermann said. The pope is lying on three pillows, facing the ceiling, he said.
The pontiff is wearing red-and-white vestments, which are only used when a pope is deceased, Bittermann said. The red signifies that the pope is ready to shed his blood for the Church.
The pope is also clutching a rosary and has his bishop's staff, Bittermann said. His two-peaked hat signifies the two testaments of the Bible.
"There is some discoloration in his face," Bittermann said. His expression is "not a grimace -- but there are signs the pope was through a lot. Not a completely beatific expression, I would say."
Vinci said several hundred people had paid their respects in the Clementina room of the Apostolic Castle, the room where the pope frequently greeted dignitaries He said he expected several thousand to pass by the pope's body before he is moved to St. Peter's Basilica for the general public.
The correspondents said that although the mourners are allowed the briefest of times to kneel at the pope's foot, it is still hard not to feel "a sense of a deep respect that you owe this man."
