Catholics in the UK have been praying for Pope John Paul II as he remains in a serious condition in the Vatican.
Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor said the Pope had given the papacy global standing as a moral voice.
Prayers were said in churches including Westminster Cathedral, St Mary's in Edinburgh and St Patrick's in Armagh.
Scotland's Cardinal Keith O'Brien said the Pope had influenced many people throughout the world.
The Archbishop of Armagh and Catholic Primate of All Ireland, Dr Sean Brady, celebrated the Pope as a man who understood the suffering brought by strife.
'Led with vigour'
At Westminster Cathedral in London on Friday, hundreds gathered for masses throughout the day to pray for the Pope.
On Friday night, Cherie Blair attended a Mass at the cathedral along with more than 700 other people.
POPE'S UK VISIT
Cardinal Murphy O'Connor, leading the service, said the Pope's demonstration that "suffering is redemptive" was "extraordinarily moving".
"I think it right that we should be together this evening to pray not only for him at this time... but also to pray with him," he said.
A prayer service was also held at the Catholic Cathedral in Liverpool, a city the pontiff visited in his 1982 tour.
Archbishop of Liverpool, Patrick Kelly, said: "The pilgrim Pope is accomplishing that best of journeys.
"Beyond doubt, not least in Liverpool, tens of thousands will walk with him."
'Extraordinary life'
The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, told BBC News: "He's been a moral voice, and in that sense I think the papacy and what it represents has an even more significant role in the world that it ever had before".
He said Catholics and fellow Christians would be "praying for him at this time as he comes towards the end of his extraordinary and wonderful life".
The leader of Scotland's Catholics, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, said the Pope was ready to hand himself over to God.
"The Pope has made his peace with God and is just tranquilly waiting for God to call him, if that is God's will," he said.
He also paid tribute to Pope John Paul II's work building relations with other churches.
"I don't think people will forget those beautiful words which he used when he was in Scotland - 'why not go forward hand in hand closer to Jesus Christ'," he said.
The Archbishop of All-Ireland, Dr Sean Brady, said: "He knows how much we suffered for our faith, and I think that has always given him special interest and affection and love".
He asked Catholics "to continue to pray fervently for Pope John Paul II".
He added: "I know that throughout Ireland today, people will be remembering the Holy Father in their prayers."
There are an estimated 5.5m Catholics across the UK.
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