Crowd of 15,000 recites rosary in St. Peter's Square in honor of pope

Published: 2005-04-01

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When Pope John Paul II made his first public appearance after his election in 1978, "he said, 'Do not be afraid. Throw open the doors to Christ,'" said the pope's vicar for Vatican City. "This evening or tonight Christ will throw open his doors to the pope," said the vicar, Archbishop Angelo Comastri. Leading the recitation of the rosary in St. Peter's Square at 9 p.m. April 1, Archbishop Comastri said, "when one's father is suffering, his children suffer and when he is dying, his children gather around him." The recitation of the rosary, he said, was an expression of Catholics' love for the pope and desire to be with him at the end of his life. In honor of the pope, the Marian prayer followed the mysteries of light, five reflections on Jesus' life that Pope John Paul added to the traditional rosary prayers in 2002. At least 15,000 people were in the square when the prayers began and more were streaming toward the Vatican as the prayers continued.

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