Tens of thousands of people from around the world flocked to the Vatican on Sunday to mark the first anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul and pray that he be made a saint soon.
They came from the late Pope's native Poland, from the United States, Asia and Italy to take part in a string of commemorations that will include a moment of silence at 9:37 pm (1937 GMT), the moment that he died a year ago.
Speaking at his noon address before he was due to start the commemorations, Pope Benedict recalled how his predecessor had "left a deep mark on the history of the Church and of humanity."
"John Paul died as he lived, moved by an indomitable courage of faith," Benedict told pilgrims gathered in a sunny St Peter's Square.
Benedict, who will say a memorial mass on Monday afternoon, recalled how much the Pope suffered without complaint and that John Paul died in the same apartment from where he was speaking.
"In the last years of his life, the Lord gradually stripped (the Pope) of everything in order to fully assimilate him (with God)," Benedict said, his words interrupted several times by applause and chants of "John Paul, John Paul".
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