Pope: let me die at home

The Pope was said today to be "serenely leaving this life" after deciding to die at the Vatican.

His condition worsened after he suffered heart failure and he has received the last rites. But the 84-year-old Pontiff has told close aides he does not want to go to hospital. Instead he continued to receive treatment at his apartments. A mass was held for him with close aides and he was described as "lucid and tranquil". Prayers were being said at the Brompton Oratory, Westminster Cathedral and at Catholic churches throughout Britain.

A spokesman for the Archbishop of Westminster said: "We are, metaphorically, watching and waiting by the Pope's bedside and praying for him." Catholics around the world also prayed for the Pontiff as Vatican officials described his condition as "very grave".

Father Jarek Cielecki, in charge of Vatican TV, said: "John Paul II is serenely leaving this life but he continues to be conscious."

The Pope's sudden deterioration was brought on by a urinary tract infection leading to septic shock and heart failure. The leader of the world's one billion Catholics for 26 years, the Polish-born Pope has lived an extraordinary life, participating in the collapse of communism, taking an often controversial stance on birth control and abortion and more recently fiercely
criticising President Bush for his attack on Iraq. He has been seriously ill for several weeks and last night suffered a high fever. His condition had appeared to have stabilised overnight after he was treated with antibiotics.

At 6.32am Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro Valls described the situation as "very serious." The Pope received a special form of holy communion reserved for the dying.

Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the Archbishop of Vienna and seen as a possible successor, last night said the Pope was "approaching, as far as a person can tell, the end of his life". Cardinal Schoenborn said he hoped for the Pope's sake that "the moment of relief comes for him". A Vatican official warned: "Hardly anyone thinks the situation will improve, but everyone is hoping for a miracle." Small groups of Catholics gathered on the edge of St Peter's Square in Rome to pray as news of his worsening condition spread.

A few knelt on the cobblestones to pray, others wrapped blankets around themselves as they kept vigil.

"There's nothing we can do but pray. We're all upset," said Italy's agriculture minister Giovanni Alemanno, who was in the crowd.

According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, John Paul had attended mass yesterday morning in his private chapel, then did some paperwork from an armchair.

At 6:45pm the Pontiff turned pale and his blood pressure plummeted. He had been recovering from throat surgery and aides said earlier he was disappointed by the slow pace of his recovery.

The Pope, the third longest serving in history, underwent a tracheotomy on 24 February in Rome's Gemelli Hospital where he spent a total of 28 days in two stints in February and March.

On Wednesday doctors inserted a feeding tube through the Pope's nose and into his stomach to try to boost his strength and help his recovery. He has had a breathing tube in his throat since the operation.

Vatican officials said they were increasingly pessimistic about the Pope making a full recovery from his ailments.

Pope John Paul failed in his efforts to talk in public on Wednesday for the second time in under a week. He appeared at his window to bless the faithful but when an aide put a microphone next to his mouth, he made some sounds but was unable to pronounce any words and the microphone was quickly removed.

The Pope tried to address the crowds on Easter Sunday but only unintelligible sounds emerged.

"It's not a very promising situation," said Dr Benjamin Ansell, an intern at UCLA School of Medicine.

"When you see recurrent infections as the Pope has had, each round of antibiotics may lead to resistance." Dr Ansell said a healthy person may recover from a high fever with no problem, but it could be devastating for those with neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, which the Pope has suffered for at least a decade.