Pope died with a smile
2005-04-06 07:52
Warsaw - Just before he died, Pope John Paul II smiled, according to a life-long friend who was at his deathbed on Saturday night in the Vatican.
Professor Tadesz Styczen, a Polish priest, also told Polish Radio (PR) that the pontiff also made a gesture of reaching out, putting his arms in front of himself.
The pontiff passed away surrounded by his closest Polish friends, Styczen said. Also in attendance were the pope's personal secretary Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, Father Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, Cardinal Marian Jaworski and Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko. - dpa
- SAPA