Dignitaries Gather At Funeral Service Of Pope John Paul

VATICAN CITY--Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church gathered for the second papal funeral in less than two months yesterday at the burial of Pope John Paul I.

The crowd in St. Peter's Square estimated at 50,000 by Vatican officials, joined 95 princes of the church and dignitaries from 108 countries to pay tribute to the Pope.

The Pope was buried in the grotto of St. Peter's Basilica, the resting place of 146 other popes.

The American delegation to the funeral included Sen. Thomas F. Eagleton (D-Mo.), Connecticut Gov. Ella Grasso, Mayor Edward Koch of New York, Rep. Michael Blouin (D-Iowa) and Lillian Carter, mother of President Carter.

Pope John Paul "passed as a meteor which unexpectedly lights up the heavens and then disappears, leaving us amazed and astonished," Carlo Cardinal Confalonieri, dean of the College of Cardinals said.

The funeral, televised live in 31 countries, marked the beginning of nine days of official mourning. On the tenth day, October 14, the cardinals will sequester themselves in the Sistine Chapel to begin the process of selecting John Paul's successor.