A million mourn

ROME — The outpouring of mourning for Pope John Paul II blossomed into a vast religious pilgrimage on Tuesday, with at least a million people flocking to St. Peter's Square by the end of the first full day of public grieving over the pope's body.

The influx, which has both amazed and alarmed Italian and Vatican officials, began straining the city's security and emergency services, with three days to go before the pope's funeral on Friday.

On Tuesday, a river of humanity rolled slowly through the medieval cobblestone streets around St. Peter's Basilica, with 600,000 paying their respects on Tuesday, according to government figures. On Monday 400,000 people were in St. Peter's Square, when the pope's body was carried briefly through the crowd.

"I have been able to measure the depth of emotion that this pope has stirred in people," said Rome's mayor, Walter Veltroni.

Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the pope's spokesman, said at a news conference on Tuesday that 88 of the 183 cardinals met in the Apostolic Palace; the number will increase as more arrive for the funeral. They had not yet been read the contents of the pope's will, possibly because it was still being translated from Polish into Italian, as newspapers here speculated.

No date for the start of the conclave to elect the pope — which must come 15 to 20 days after his death — was announced.

Only cardinals under 80 can vote for pope, and there are 117 in that category. Only three of those have taken part in a previous conclave, and many do not know each other. The daily meetings, called general congregations, have therefore become get-acquainted sessions and, many Vatican watchers say, the informal start of conversations about who among them will become the next pope.

"We say to each other, 'Who is that?' and, 'Who is that?' " Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington said in an interview, pointing his finger.

Some details of the pope's burial, and the election of his successor, did emerge.

In a departure from ancient ritual, the announcement of a new pope — traditionally signaled by white smoke — would be driven home by the ringing of bells. In the past, a muddled color of smoke had caused confusion.

Given the adulation in St. Peter's Square, it was perhaps no surprise that the issue of sainthood for John Paul would come up. At a news conference on Tuesday, Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago said he had no doubt such an effort would arise. He also took note of John Paul's dedication to prayer.