ROME -- A statement issued by the Vatican says Pope John Paul II died on Saturday at 9:37 p.m. Rome time.
“The Holy Father died this evening at 9:37 p.m. in his private apartment. All the procedures outlined in the apostolic Constitution ‘Universi Dominici Gregis’ that was written by John Paul II on Feb. 22, 1996, have been put in motion," the official Vatican statement said.
Early Saturday the Vatican said Pope John Paul showed the first signs of losing consciousness but did not slip into a coma.
The Vatican said the pope's heart and kidneys were failing.
The papal spokesman said the pontiff opened his eyes when spoken to but otherwise keeps them shut "as if he were resting.''
The pope spoke Friday night and seemed to have said: "I have looked for you. Now you have come to me. And I thank you.''
He said that may have been a reference to the thousands of young people the pope was told were praying for him in St. Peter's Square on Friday. Others speculated the pope was talking to God.
On Friday the Vatican said the pope's breathing became shallow and kidneys were not working properly. The pope suffered heart failure overnight Thursday. In March he had a tracheotomy and a feeding tube inserted through his nose.
In his final health crisis the pope's body was ravaged by heart failure and septic shock.
The pope was said to be very lucid on Friday and “extraordinarily serene.” He visited with top Vatican officials and appointed a large number of bishops and other church officials.
John Paul asked aides to read him the liturgy of the Third Hour: the biblical passage describing the path that Christ took to his Crucifixion. In the final state of the Way of the Cross, Christ's body was taken down from the cross, wrapped in a linen shroud and placed in his tomb.
When the pope becomes incapacitated or he dies, the Vatican is able to conduct business without missing a step.
Several key officials ensure there is continuity at the Vatican. Those include Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who would be described as a prime minister in a parliamentary democracy. He has taken on an increasingly visible role since John Paul was hospitalized with the flu and breathing problems in February.
The Vatican's centuries-old bureaucracy handles the Vatican's day-to-day operations.
Born May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland, Karol Wojtyla was an excellent student and athlete. The young Lolek, as he was called, lost his mother at age 8, his brother at age 12. He grew to be a passionate and gifted actor and a fine singer, possessing a charisma he used to inspire and even amuse in his years as pope.
By 1962, Wojtyla was named archbishop of Krakow.
The 58-year-old cardinal was elected pope in 1978, after seven ballots, when Pope John Paul I died.
More biography
Bishop Gregory Aymond speaks of the pope
He was a strong voice who stood for the teachings of the Catholic Church. He did his very best day by day in his talks … and his encyclicals. He was known as the one who stood for the teachings of the Catholic Church … one who tried to make those teachings make sense to the everyday life of the Catholics and of the world. And he did not back down from the teachings … I think he will also be known as the champion of justice. There is no doubt that John Paul II, in his lifetime, had a genuine … passion for justice.
Read or watch this entire interview
