Holy Viaticum was administered to Pope John Paul II at 7:17 p.m. (12:17 p.m. EST) last night. Viaticum is Eucharist given to "those who are about to leave this life" and is "the spiritual food for one's passing over to the Father from this world," according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. And while the Pontiff celebrated Mass at dawn this morning in the Vatican City, certainly now it seems that his life may be subsiding. All we can do now is pray. According to Reuters via ABC News:
The Vatican statement said the Pope was still "conscious, lucid and tranquil" and had celebrated Mass as dawn broke, but senior clergy indicated that his life was ebbing away.
"He is fading serenely," Polish Cardinal Andrzej Maria Deskur, a close friend, was quoted as saying by Agi news agency. An update on his health was to be issued at around 5:30 a.m. - 6 a.m. EST, the Vatican said.
Read more:
Pope Appears Close to Death After Heart Failure
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