VATICAN, Jun. 4, 2001 (CWNews.com) - About 30,000 people were in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, June 3, as the mortal remains of Blessed John XXIII were brought in a solemn procession to the altar where Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass for the feast of Pentecost.
The body of "good Pope John," which had been discovered to be incorrupt, was carried in a bronze and crystal open casket. The former Pope-- who had died exactly 38 years earlier-- was clad in white papal vestments; his features were plainly visible, although his face was covered with a thin wax mask.
In his homily during the Mass for Pentecost, Pope John Paul II recalled that John XXIII had convened the Second Vatican Council. Noting that Pentecost is the feast of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Father remarked that "the Holy Spirit was the protagonist of the Council, from the very moment the Pope convoked it."
However, John Paul continued, the greatest gift that Pope John XXIII gave to the Church was not the Council, nor his reputation for humor and good will. "The most precious gift left by Pope John to the People of God was himself: his witness of sanctity," the Pope said.
Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update
4. juni 2001