Vatican City - A swelling tide of faithful flowed past Pope John Paul's body on Tuesday in an outpouring of affection to repay the Polish Pontiff who reached out to millions during his 26-year papacy.
As hundreds of thousands of ordinary people queued for hours to pay homage to the third-longest reigning pope, the Roman Catholic cardinals temporarily running the Church met to discuss plans for Friday's funeral and the election of a successor.
The crowds stretched as far as the eye could see, streaming up the broad boulevard that leads to St Peter's Square and into the vast basilica, where John Paul's crimson-robed body lay in state, as visible and popular in death as he had been in life.
"It's a beautiful experience to be here and see how many people have come to bear witness to the passing of this great Pope," said 21-year-old Caterina Avantagiato, who had traveled up to Rome on a night train from her village in southern Italy.
The cardinals decided that the vaulted basilica should stay open until Thursday night, when the pope's body would be removed from the bier and laid in a plain cypress wood coffin in readiness for Friday's funeral.
The funeral rites will last three hours and will draw together kings, presidents and prime ministers, briefly united in mourning for the world's best known religious leader.
Up to 2 million faithful are expected for the service in an unprecedented salute for a man who helped bring down the Iron Curtain, stamped a uncompromising orthodoxy on his own faith and traveled the world to spread his message.
Amidst the roar of praise for John Paul, some dissenting voices stood out, accusing the Pope of destroying democracy in the Church and alienating many with his rigid moral values.
"The Polish Pope's internal policies were devastating," Roman Catholicism's leading rebel theologian Hans Kueng said.
CONCLAVE
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said 91 of the church's 183 cardinals met in the Vatican on Tuesday. Only those cardinals aged under 80 -- 117 in all -- will be admitted to the secretive conclave to elect a new pope.
The cardinals have yet to set a date for the beginning of the momentous conclave, which must start between 15 and 20 days following John Paul's death.
Archbishop Piero Marini, the Vatican master of ceremonies, told reporters that besides the usual puff of white smoke from the Sistine Chapel, the bells of St. Peter's will also ring out when a pope is chosen, to avoid any confusion.
At a 1978 conclave, the smoke signal system did not work properly and watchers were confused because the smoke was neither black -- signifying no result -- nor white but grey.
Before the secrecy of the conclave descends, some cardinals are speaking openly about the sort of pope they want.
Some hinted they would welcome a pontiff from the developing world. Others said the next leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics should be a doctrinal conservative like John Paul.
South African Cardinal Wilfred Napier said: "It would be great, of course, if it were somebody from the vibrant south."
"It's possible for an African pope to be chosen," Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson said before leaving Accra for Rome.
But Cardinal Bernard Agre of Ivory Coast said: "Psychologically and spiritually the West isn't ready to welcome a black pope."
Polish Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski appeared to pour cold water on the chances of one top cardinal, 77-year-old Josef Ratzinger of Germany, saying: "The problem is his advanced age."
BURIAL
The Vatican announced on Tuesday that John Paul will be buried under the spot once occupied by the tomb of the highly popular Pope John XXIII, in a crypt beneath St. Peter's.
Many voices are already been raised for the Polish Pontiff to be called "John Paul the Great" in recognition of a papacy that made him one of the world's dominating figures of his time.
But the unstinting praise angered some, notably in France, where critics accused the government of riding rough shod over the state's commitment to secularism by ordering that flags be flown at half-mast in honor of the dead Pope.
"For five days there has been a hagiography about the sovereign Pontiff without any critical spirit," said Jean-Luc Melenchon, a Socialist senator.
Such doubts were not to be heard on the crammed streets surrounding the Vatican where crowds continued to move incessantly up to St Peter's, carrying flags, crosses, pictures of John Paul and umbrellas to protect them from the sun.
"It's out of control. But everyone is so patient, so nice, it's a very peaceful multitude," said a policeman, who did not wish to give his name. Officials said they had lost count of the numbers.
Gearing up for the arrival of more pilgrims and presidents than at any time in its history for Friday's funeral, Rome is erecting a defense shield that will include a no-fly zone and anti-aircraft missiles.
World leaders planning to attend the funeral range from President Bush to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, making the service the most star-studded in Vatican history.
Pope John Paul I's funeral in 1978 was attended by just 105 VIPs, with the U.S. delegation headed by President Jimmy Carter's wife, Rosalynn, instead of the president himself.