World's mighty join pilgrims for historic funeral

ROME - The funeral of Pope John Paul II tonight - one of the biggest in history - will draw the largest gathering of the powerful and the humble in modern times.

The Pope who travelled the globe will bring together millions from around the world to witness his final journey.

The Vatican expects two million faithful - the largest number of pilgrims to converge on St Peter's Square in its history.

Few occasions can attract US President George W. Bush to the same event as President Mohammad Khatami of Iran - the country Bush accused of being part of "an axis of evil".

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe defied a European Union travel ban and flew out of Harare unannounced to attend.

Funerals of respected world leaders can leave their mark on history and the funeral Mass to honour the third-longest reigning pontiff will be no exception.

Millions of Iranians crowded into Tehran for the funeral of Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 but few world dignitaries were there.

The funeral in 1980 of Yugoslavia's Josip Broz Tito brought together for the first time Cold War warriors such as Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev and Britain's Margaret Thatcher, but none of the masses from around the world descended on Belgrade.

Pope John Paul was the leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics and head of state of the Vatican City state.

Rome authorities are taking no chances over security and threw up a defence shield, including anti-aircraft missiles.

More than 100 countries are expected to be represented in St Peter's Basilica, and more than 50 heads of state will be there.

Catholic kings and queens will join Protestant and Muslim monarchs.

Among the notable will be King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain - heirs of the so-called "Catholic Kings" of the 15th century who sent their conquistadors to colonise the New World for their Popes and their Catholic God.

Fidel Castro of Marxist Cuba, who met the Pope in 1998 and called him an "indefatigable warrior" for peace, is sending his national assembly president.

China, however, will be a no-show. Beijing says it is not sending an envoy because the Vatican has diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

But the Muslim world will be present. The Pope's pleas against the US-led invasion of Iraq earned him Islamic praise and respect.

The presence of Khatami, an Islamic cleric, at the funeral may also be governed by the drive he shared with the Pope for inter-faith dialogue.

Khatami, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie will be sitting in a Christian basilica with the President of the Jewish state, Moshe Katsav.

Neither of Israel's chief rabbis will attend the funeral as they are preparing the Jewish state for Passover but they are sending the director-general of their joint office.

Who's going:

- 2 million faithful
- 4 Kings
- 5 Queens
- 14 leaders of other faiths
- 70 Presidents and prime ministers

- REUTERS