Reaction to the Pope's death

Comments from world leaders and others on the Pope's death:

KOFI ANNAN, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL:
"I have followed very closely the situation of the Pope. I pray for him as he has prayed for me, for peace. He is a man of peace and he has been a great supporter of the United Nations."

DON MCKINNON, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH:
"The world has lost a true friend, one of the most respected religious leaders of our time. He was a towering figure in our troubled world. Throughout his life, he was an example of moral courage and determination and a source of inspiration to millions."

GEORGE BUSH, US PRESIDENT:
"The Catholic Church has lost its shepherd. The world has lost a champion of human freedom and a good and faithful servant of God has been called home."

HELEN CLARK, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER:
"I think it is a time of tremendous sadness, not only for the world's Roman Catholic community, but for the whole world knowing the very powerful messages around peace and democracy which the Pope brought to the world for many years."

THE QUEEN:
"The Queen has conveyed to the Holy See her deep sorrow on receiving the news of the death of his holiness Pope John Paul II. Her majesty remembers the untiring efforts of Pope John Paul II in promoting peace and goodwill throughout the world."

JOHN HOWARD, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER
"The contribution that he made to the freeing of his native Poland, and what was set in train ultimately leading to the collapse of Soviet communism, is one of the more remarkable features of his life. The world has lost one of the dominant personal influences of my generation and indeed of many years."

CARDINAL THEODORE McCARRICK, ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON:
"In a certain sense he was 'American'. He enjoyed people. He had a great sense of humour. He was humble, all the things that America likes in their leaders, and I think we saw that in him, therefore we became very close to him.

MARCEL GERVAIS, ARCHBISHOP OF OTTAWA:
"I'm not the one to claim that he should be John Paul the Great, but I think everyone will start to say that. Very few popes have the title 'The Great'. We've had extraordinary Holy Fathers in the last several centuries, but he really stands tall above most of them."

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER:
"He never wavered, never flinched, in the struggle for what he thought was good and right."

BERTIE AHERN, IRISH PRIME MINISTER
"I wonder whether all the changes would have happened in eastern Europe if he'd not been there for the last quarter of a century. I don't think it would have. I think he had a powerful influence on that change."

CARDINAL CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR, ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMINSTER:
"Powerful in weakness, powerful in suffering, powerful as he gives us an example, as his life slowly comes to an end."

SHIMON PERES, ISRAELI VICE-PREMIER:
"Pope John Paul II...exhibited not only a big spirit but a good one. Even though he represented Catholicism, he managed, with his talent and personality, to also represent our entire global partnership."

JERZY URBAN, EX-SPOKESMAN OF POLAND'S PAST COMMUNIST RULERS:
"As a godless atheist I never cared much for the church or the papacy. I disliked the fact that the papacy bore down so heavily on Poland. Now I fear that a cult will emerge after his death."

STANISLAW WITEK, 56, AN ELECTRICIAN IN THE POPE'S HOMETOWN OF WADOWICE:
"I have work waiting for me in Belgium, but I think I'll be going to Rome. I cannot explain it. I've never met him, but he is someone who simply radiates a force. There has never been such a Pole as him and there will never be. "

- REUTERS, NEWSTALK ZB