NOTES FROM THE FUNERAL MASS

As the 2 -1/2 hour funeral mass for Pope John Paul II ended Friday with the multitude in St. Peter's Square rising to sing "May the angels accompany you into heaven," another chapter began with the end of his 26-year reign and the anticipation of his successor.

Nine days of masses marking mourning will end with an April 18 conclave to elect the next pope. The colossal influx of mourners, the outpouring of praise and the speculation over the contents of the pope's will are part of papal history now.

The crowds dispersed peacefully through the streets of Rome -- 300,000 in St. Peter's Square alone. There are perhaps more than 2 million pilgrims in the city.

By late afternoon, the lit candles pilgrims left on the bridges over the Tiber River were gone. Street cleaners made quick dispatch of refuse.

But there were these recollections of Friday:

THE PRIVATE BURIAL

Pope sealed in 3 caskets, placed between queens

After the cypress coffin was carried to the grotto under the high altar in St. Peter's Basilica after the service, it was definitively closed with red bands and both papal and Vatican seals. It was then nested inside a zinc casket and then within a walnut one. The outside casket bears the pope's name, his cross and his papal coat of arms.

The casket was then lowered into the ground in a plot inside a small chapel, between the tombs of two women: Queen Christina of Sweden and Queen Carlotta of Cyprus, the Vatican said.

Closed to the public, the service was witnessed by Vatican prelates and performed by Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo. He concluded with the words: "Lord, grant him eternal rest, and may perpetual light shine upon him."

Public viewing: A papal spokesman said the Vatican would announce soon when the grotto would be reopened to the public.

SAINTHOOD

Pilgrims seek to speed process for John Paul

Banners with the words "Santo Subito" that urged the Catholic Church to proclaim John Paul II a saint quickly were held during the funeral mass Friday. The sentiment apparently is widely shared among Catholic clergy.

Detroit Cardinal Adam Maida said he sees no stopping the "tidal wave" of Catholic sentiment to put Pope John Paul II on the fast track to canonization.

"It's almost by acclamation," Maida said. Sainthood usually takes decades or centuries, according to Catholic rules. But Maida said John Paul sped up reviews for Mother Teresa, who died in 1997, and Pope John XXIII, who died in 1963.

Silencio: In preparation for the April 18 conclave to pick a new pope, Maida said he and other U.S. cardinals would not talk to the media next week.

FLAGS AFLUTTER

Mourners from many nations honor pontiff

There were flags from Nigeria, Slovakia, Croatia, Samoa, Venezuela, Poland, and numerous other countries held and waved during the funeral mass.

Near the central front of the crowd at St. Peter's Square, a lone American flag was held aloft by Courtney Brown, 19, of Apple Valley, Minn. A student at St. John University in Queens, N.Y., she's studying in Rome this semester. Brown, a Christian who is not affiliated with a particular denomination, said she "wanted to be part of history in the making, and he deserved for me to come."

Head count of dignitaries:

17 reigning monarchs and three crown princes.

57 heads of state and 17 heads of government.

142 non-Catholic religious leaders.

GREETING OF PEACE

Enemies put aside differences at mass

At the point in the funeral mass where people were urged to greet one another with a sign of peace, Israeli President Moshe Katsav shook hands and chatted briefly with the leader of archenemy Syria. He later shook the hand of the leader of archenemy Iran.

Syrian President Bashar Assad extended his hand first, Katsav said after the service.

As Katsav was leaving the seating area for dignitaries, Iranian President Mohammed Khatami extended his hand, said Katsav, who was born in Iran. They spoke in Farsi, the Iranian language, and talked about Yazd, a city in Iran where both were born.

IN HIS HOMELAND

Hundreds of thousands mourn their national hero

About 800,000 Poles knelt in a vast meadow near Krakow on Friday and sang along with Pope John Paul II's funeral, broadcast on giant screens. John Paul rose from priest to archbishop of Krakow before becoming pope in 1978.

Schools, businesses and government offices were closed as Poland mourned a national hero.

The funeral was telecast live to churches and gathering places worldwide -- from Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral to a seaside park in Manila.

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