The funeral of Pope John Paul II, who died on last Saturday at the age of 84, was held Friday in Vatican City.

He was educated at Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland, and at the Angelicum in Rome.

He was ordained priest in 1946, became titular bishop in 1958, and later served as vicar-general, vicar and archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cracow.

He was created cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1967. In October 1978, he was elected Pope, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.

On Sunday, the Catholic Patriotic Association of China and the Chinese Catholic Bishops College sent a telegram to Vatican to express "deep condolences" over the demise of Pope John Paul II.

(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2005)