All faiths unite to pay their final respects

Christian and Muslim together attend solemn Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral last night. Picture / Paul Estcourt

At St Patrick's Cathedral in Auckland they came from all walks of life, all ages and all faiths, to pay their final respects to Pope John Paul II.

When there was nowhere left to sit, they stood in the aisles and in the lobby. Those who could not get inside stood or sat in the cathedral courtyard and watched the service on a giant screen. In total, more than 1500 people attended the service.

Among the congregation were Prime Minister Helen Clark, deputy National Party leader Gerry Brownlee, a large cross-section of the Polish community and religious leaders from other faiths.

Bishop Patrick Dunn, who led the solemn Mass, said he was wearing the vestments the Pope wore on his visit to New Zealand in 1986.

"But I'm not that ambitious," he joked.

The front of the cathedral was dominated by two images of the Pope. One showed him "in his prime", said Bishop Dunn, the other showed the back of a hunched old man "walking off the stage of history".

Bishop Dunn said there was much talk about whether he would be remembered as Pope John Paul the Great.

There were only two previous popes called "the great" who proved to be great leaders and teachers at pivotal moments in history.

"When I think about Pope John Paul II, one of the things I will remember most is he was consistently teaching and guiding us," Bishop Dunn said.

He was fearful of no one and respectful of everyone.

The Mass began with the hymn Be Not Afraid, which were Pope John Paul's first words when he became Pope in 1978.

"I'm sure he would like to remind us of those first words," said Bishop Dunn.