John Paul II

Hundreds of thousands of people have crowded into Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the beatification of John Paul the second; bringing him a step closer to sainthood. Saint Peter's was jammed packed and the crowds stretched as far back as the Tiber river more than half a kilometre away. The Catholic faithful waved banners and flags as Pobe Benedict declared his predecessor blessed. Many people in the crowd had come from the former pontiff's native Poland for the ceremony. Many more back home had celebrated the event by watching it on giant outdoor screens.