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| Sunday, 3 April 2005 |
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Millions await word on dying pope Saturday (AFP) Pope John Paul II hovered between life and death on Saturday as millions around the world anxiously awaited the next word from the Vatican on the 84-year-old pontiff's rapidly deteriorating condition. But Vatican officials closed the press center - which had unusually remained open overnight - at 6:00 am, and announced that it would reopen at 9:00 am (0700 GMT). Meanwhile the leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics lay suffering from falling blood pressure and shallow breathing as well as "renal insufficiency" - close to kidney failure. The pontiff, who has Parkinson's disease and has long been confined to a wheelchair, suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse late Thursday, when he was given the last rites. The hastening approach of death became apparent early Friday when the Vatican issued a statement saying his condition was "very serious" after a heart attack, septic shock and urinary tract infection. But Cardinal Camillo Ruini, who as Vicar of Rome is charged with breaking news of a papal death, painted a picture of John Paul II calmly awaiting the end. "I found him profoundly serene and lucid," Ruini said, calling on people to "intensify their prayers" for the stricken pontiff. |
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