VATICAN: Pope John Paul II lies buried under an unadorned, bright marble slab that bears the inscription, Ioannes Paules PP II. Deep in the crypt of the Basilica of St Peter's, the late Pope now lies surrounded by his own, very special peer group.
The tomb of John XXIII is close by, his immediate predecessor John Paul I is just across the corridor whilst Paul VI's tomb, very similar to his own, is just a few yards further along. A bunch of lilies sits by the marble tombstone, which apart from the Pope's name bears only two other inscriptions - the papal coat of arms and the dates of his pontificate, 16/X/78 to 2/IV/2005.
From this morning, the Pope's last resting place will be open to the public. Yesterday it was the turn of the cardinals and the media to get a sneak preview.
Notwithstanding the presence of hundreds of colleagues taking notes, some reporters fell to their knees and stopped for a moment of silent prayer. It is not hard to imagine that John Paul II's tomb will soon become a favourite Vatican stopping point for those in search of spiritual sustenance, not to mention for pilgrims, tourists and the curious alike.
The man in the tomb would probably have approved of the fact that his fellow bishops, the College of Cardinals, were busy at work yesterday preparing for the conclave that will elect his successor. In a briefing, Vatican spokesman Dr Joaquin Navarro-Valls reported that in their eighth general congregation yesterday, 137 of the cardinals had begun "an exchange of ideas on the general situation of the church in the world and on the Holy See".
Put in layman's language, this means they are fully engaged in pre-conclave politics as they try to find agreement on the outstanding issues and concerns facing the church as it begins the search for a successor.