Asia: Millions of Roman Catholics in Asia packed churches and held vigils yesterday to pray for Pope John Paul as the Vatican said the ailing Pontiff's condition was "very grave".
"He is getting worse, we have to face it," said Rey Caluba, parish priest of the Redemptorist Church in Manila.
"We are praying for his health in these days of illness. But we are prepared for the worst."
The Vatican said the 84-year-old Pope was in a "very grave" condition after suffering heart failure.
His health had deteriorated sharply on Thursday, when he suffered a very high fever caused by a urinary infection.
In Australia, home to about five million Catholics, people gathered across the country, including several hundred at Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral.
"Pope John Paul is one of the great men of our time, and we are praying for him as his health continues to cause concern," said Bishop Julian Porteous of the archdiocese of Sydney.
In the Philippines, where at least 80 per cent of the 84 million people are Catholics, enormous crowds turned out in 1981 and 1995 during visits by the Polish-born Pope.
"We are all very sad about his failing health," President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo told reporters. "We are really very grateful to the Lord that, for all these many years, He gave us the wonderful leadership of the Pope in our church."
Church leaders in the Philippines have strictly observed the Pope's conservative stance against contraception, homosexual marriage and women priests during his 26-year term as head of the world's nearly one billion Catholics.
Most Filipino Catholics also adhere to the edicts, with some going to extreme lengths to show their devotion by whipping their backs bloody or being nailed to crosses in Easter parades.
On Nias island in northwestern Indonesia, devastated by a massive earthquake on Monday, the area's mainly Christian residents were cut off from news about the Pope's condition as they struggled to cope with the disaster.
"I am sure he is praying for us too," said Richard Hulu, a Catholic cleric in a mostly Muslim nation.
In the eastern Indian city of Calcutta, gloom descended on the global headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, the order set up by Mother Teresa, as news spread of the Pope's condition.
The pontiff was presiding over the process aimed at making Mother Teresa a saint.
"The Pope was very affectionate towards Mother Teresa for her enormous charitable activity. He would often cite her service to mankind as an example of a true Christian life," said Sr Christie, a senior official of the order. "Our dear Holy Father, we are with you in your suffering. We pray for you. We love you," Sister Nirmala, head of the order, said in a statement.
Church officials in South Korea said there were no plans on the national level for vigils by the country's 4.5 million Catholics, but some parishes were holding prayer sessions.
Fr Surachai Chumsriphan, secretary of the Bangkok archdiocese, said the 300,000 Catholics in largely Buddhist Thailand shared the concerns of the faithful around the world.
"We respect him as the representative of God and we are upset about his health," he said.
In communist Vietnam, many of the eight million Catholics, who make up the second-largest community in Asia after the Philippines, were closely following news about the Pope.
"We call on our Christians to pray for him," said Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of the Hanoi archdiocese.