UK Catholics mourn 'great' Pope

He was the first Polish pontiff and the youngest of the 20th Century

The leader of England and Wales' Roman Catholics has hailed the Pope as one of the greatest pontiffs in history as UK churchgoers mourn his death aged 84.

A number of special services are being held at churches across Britain in his memory on Sunday.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said: "We have lost a great leader of the modern world...one of the great popes in the church's 2,000-year history."

The Queen, Prince Charles and the prime minister also paid tribute to the Pope.

The Pope visited the UK in May 1982 on a six-day tour, including a Mass at Westminster Cathedral and a meeting with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

He never wavered, never flinched, in the struggle for what he thought was good and right Prime Minister Tony Blair Blair leads tributes Salford bells ring out

Buckingham Palace issued a statement on behalf of the Queen in which she spoke of her "deep sorrow" at news of the death.

Prince Charles spoke of his "fond and special memories" of meeting the pope in Rome and in Britain.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "The world has lost a religious leader who was revered across people of all faiths and none. He was an inspiration, a man of extraordinary faith, dignity and courage.

"Throughout a hard and often difficult life, he stood for social justice and on the side of the oppressed, whether as a young man facing the Nazi occupation in Poland or later in challenging the Communist regime.

"He never wavered, never flinched, in the struggle for what he thought was good and right," Mr Blair said.

In a world of change and uncertainty, people saw him as a rock Conservative leader Michael Howard

Conservative leader Michael Howard was one of the first British politicians to give tribute.

"The deep sense of loss felt by Catholics at the passing of the Pope will be shared by many millions more, of other faiths and of none," he said.

"In a world of change and uncertainty, people saw him as a rock - steadfast in support of freedom, unswerving in opposition to totalitarianism, robust in defence of Christian values."

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said: "The papacy of Pope John II will be remembered rightly as an historic turning point in European and world affairs.

'Deep affection'

"His was a pivotal presence on the world stage and he took his Christian message of hope to millions."

Labour Party and the Tories will suspend public campaigning throughout Sunday as a mark of respect. The Liberal Democrats have no special events scheduled.

Former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher paid tribute to Pope John Paul II as the greatest pope of the modern era.

He was the first Polish pontiff and the youngest of the 20th Century

"His life was a long struggle against the lies employed to excuse evil. By combating the falsehoods of communism and proclaiming the true dignity of the individual, his was the moral force behind victory in the Cold War."

Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor paid his tribute to the Pope on the steps of Westminster Cathedral, which will remain open throughout Saturday night.

He said people would remember him "for his witness to hope and the dignity of human life," the cardinal said.

"We will remember him for his endurance of suffering, even until the very end and we will remember him for reminding us that this world is not the only world. There is a world of our eternal destiny," he added.

Within minutes of the Pope's death bells started tolling at St John's Cathedral in Salford, just a few miles away from Heaton Park in Manchester, visited by John Paul II in 1982.

Catholics started arriving at the cathedral late on Saturday evening to pray and sign a book of condolence beneath a giant portrait of the Pope painted by a local artist Harold Riley.