Vatican prepares for pope's funeral
Doors to St. Peter's closed after some 2 million view body
 |  Mourners hold candles Thursday night in a vigil before the funeral Mass for Pope John Paul II. |
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| LEADERS SET FOR FUNERAL | Some 200 world dignitaries are expected to attend Pope John Paul II's funeral Friday. They include:
President Bush and first lady Laura Bush
Britain's Prince Charles
British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Former President Clinton
Former President George H.W. Bush
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Taiwanese President Chen Shui Bian
Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
U.S. congressional delegation of 14 senators and 26 representatives
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan
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VATICAN CITY (CNN) -- Thousands of mourners, including many world leaders, will gather at the Vatican Friday to pay their final respects at the funeral Mass for Pope John Paul II.
Crowds of mourners who stood in line for hours to view the pope's body had dissipated by late Thursday, as the huge bronze doors of St. Peter's Basilica were closed to the public, and the Vatican prepared for the long-standing Roman Catholic rituals of burial.
The Vatican Thursday published the pope's 15-page spiritual testament in which a reflective John Paul II considered having his funeral in Poland.
Ultimately, he left the decision to the College of Cardinals, although the pope was clear that his burial should take place "in the bare earth," not in a tomb.
Cardinals decided to bury John Paul in a grotto beneath St. Peter's Basilica. He will be laid to rest in a crypt once occupied by the body of Pope John XXIII, who was disinterred and moved to the basilica's main floor in 2001.
Before the public Mass begins at 10 a.m. (4 a.m. ET), the pope's body will be placed in a cypress coffin during a private ceremony. (Funeral rituals)
In a ritual new to the procedure, a white silk veil will be placed over his face and a special prayer will be said.
By tradition, various medals, imprinted with the dates of the pontificate, will be placed in the coffin, along with a parchment, sealed in a lead tube, summarizing the pope's life.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, considered one of the candidates to succeed the pope, will celebrate Friday's requiem Mass. The conservative, 77-year-old German was one of the pope's closest advisers.
From 100,000 to 115,000 members of the public are expected to attend the funeral in St. Peter's Square, along with hundreds of dignitaries, including U.S. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The multilingual Mass is expected to last longer than two hours. About 320 priests will distribute communion to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square.
After the public funeral ceremony, the pope's body will be carried to the crypt in St. Peter's for a private ceremony. Just before burial, the cypress coffin will be placed in a zinc coffin, which in turn will be placed inside a wooden casket.
The 84-year-old pope died Saturday, and his body has lain in state since Monday in the basilica. At least 2 million people are believed to have paid tribute to the pope since then. Some waited in line for up to 12 hours for their chance to see the pope's body for just a few seconds.
Police froze the line to enter the basilica about 10 p.m. Wednesday (4 p.m. ET), but reopened it Thursday morning. Barriers blocked the line for good at 7 p.m.
The College of Cardinals has been meeting daily to plan the funeral and a conclave that will choose John Paul II's successor.
After nine days of mourning that follow the funeral, the conclave is set to begin April 18, and 117 cardinals -- all younger than 80 -- are eligible to attend. (Election rituals)
Friday's funeral Mass will be the first of the novendiali, the Catholic Church's nine days of mourning for the pope.
Security challenges
The crowds of mourners present security challenges for Italian authorities.
Metal detectors were installed in St. Peter's Square, and security forces were slated to swell to 15,000, including 1,500 military forces, by Friday, an official said. First aid teams were at the ready, and bottles of drinking water were stacked near the square.
Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni said all nonessential traffic would be halted in the city from midnight (6 p.m. ET) Thursday until 6 p.m. (noon ET) Friday, and schools and other public buildings will be closed between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Airspace within 40 miles of the Vatican will be off-limits to private aircraft. Security cameras already are monitoring key areas, and the Tiber River is under patrol. (Full story)
With the city's hotels full -- and the ancient Circus Maximus an impromptu campground for thousands -- Veltroni issued "an informal invitation" for residents to house pilgrims arriving for the funeral.
Notes to be burned
The pontiff wrote his testament in Polish, beginning in 1979, the year after he became pope. The pope had said that he reviewed it each Lenten season. (Text of will)
The Vatican released copies in Polish and in an Italian translation Thursday.
The pope's first entry, on March 6, 1979, noted that he left no material possessions behind, requesting that his personal secretary, Stanislaw Dziwisz, distribute "those items of daily use ... as may appear opportune" and ensure that his personal notes are burned.
But the most extensive entries came in March 2000, when the pontiff, then nearly 80, was suffering from Parkinson's disease and other ailments.
He began an entry recalling the words fellow Polish Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski said to him when he first became pope: "The duty of the new pope will be to introduce the church into the third millennium."
John Paul wrote, "Day by day the 20th century closes behind us and the 21st century opens."
With the old millennium "retreating into the past," he asked if it might not be time to follow the path of the biblical story of Simeon. Simeon was told he would not die before seeing the Messiah, according to the New Testament's Gospel of Luke.
"Lord, now let your servant go in peace, your word has been fulfilled," Simeon said when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus into the temple.
