Today, April 8, the solemn funeral of Pope John Paul II, who died on April 2, 2005, will take place in the Vatican. \n \n2,500 official guests, including 200 heads of state and government, as well as 300,000 pilgrims, will be present at the mourning ceremony in St. Peter's Square. \n \nOn the steps of the main Catholic cathedral near the pedestal with the pontiff's coffin, 140 cardinals who have arrived in Rome will pray. Places for delegations have been prepared in front of the basilica. \n \nAs reported by "NEWSru.com", yesterday at 22:00 access for the faithful to St. Peter's Basilica was closed. Tonight the body of the deceased will be placed in a closed cypress coffin (it was from this wood, according to legend, that the cross on which Christ was crucified was made). By tradition, a leather pouch with coins issued during the years of the pontificate and a metal case with a scroll containing the Pope's biography will be placed in the coffin. \n\nToday at 10:00 (11:00 Kyiv time) the funeral liturgy will begin, which will last three hours. The funeral mass will be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals and one of the candidates for the post of Pope, German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The ceremony will end with the "prayer of the Roman Church", which will be read by the Pope's vicar for Rome, Cardinal Camillo Ruini. \n\nAt 13:00 (14:00 Kyiv time) the ritual of burying the body will begin, which will take less than an hour. The body of John Paul II will be transferred to the main Vatican basilica and interred in the catacombs of the cathedral next to the relics of the holy Apostle Peter. \n\nPublic order is being ensured by 15,000 military personnel and police officers. The security of high-ranking guests is guaranteed by special anti-terrorist units of NATO and Italy. On the occasion of the funeral, 3,500 journalists have been accredited at the Press Office of the Holy See. More than 150 television channels around the world are broadcasting the mourning ceremony live. \n\nPope John Paul II died in his 85th year of life on the evening of April 2 from septic shock and cardiac crisis after a long illness. \n