“He (John Paul) was a model and an inspiration who united the world with his extraordinary charisma,” Bustillo said.
In Mexico, thousands of people gathered at giant screens at the country’s Virgin of Guadalupe Basilica in the capital, Mexico City.
Jorge Lopez Barcenas, a 70-year-old painter and body shop worker, traveled from central Hidalgo state to witness the beatification from the basilica.
“He was a person who elevated the faith,” the Associated Press quoted Lopez as saying. He says he saw the Pope during two of his five visits to the country.
Mexico was the third most-visited country by the Pope after Poland and France.
In India, Mount Carmel church in the Bandra Suburb of Mumbai held a special gospel concert on April 30, followed by the screening of the ceremony from Rome this morning, the Hindustan Times says. Father Warder D’Souza of Mount Carmel church says he already adopted Pope John Paul as the patron of the parish’s young people four years ago.
“Pope John Paul II was popular world-wide because of his love of the youth, and specially for us because he visited India (in 1986).”
Finally, all across the United States events are planned from coast to coast. In Denver, for example, Archbishop Charles Chaput is following Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception with a prayer service at the Blessed John Paul II statue in the southwest corner of the church. Meanwhile Bishop James Conley is hosting a beatification party for young adults.
And it’s not just Catholics marking the occasion. The Simon Wiesenthal Center has announced that it will mark the beatification with a permanent exhibition of the Center's Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. The installation will chart Pope John Paul’s friendship and solidarity with Jewish people says Rabbi Marvin Hier, Founder and Dean of the Center.
“Pope John Paul II will always have a special place of honor in the hearts of Jews everywhere. In our two private audiences with the Pope, we experienced firsthand the uniqueness of this great man; from the very beginning of his pontificate, the warmth of his interaction—particularly how he engaged in conversation with each of the Holocaust survivors who were members of our delegation.”