How the day unfolded7:30am: Santo Sabastiano was to one side, rusted spears protruding from his body, and Santo Crescenzio on the other. They framed our view as we looked down from the colonnade on St Peter's Square below.
Already some VIPs had taken their seats, to the right, in front of St Peter's Basilica. Draped across its door hung an image of a youthful Risen Christ, the great altar in front, and before it a large rectangle of carpet where the coffin would lie.
The square itself was still empty, with impatient crowds waiting to get in, flying Mediterranean and Polish flags. "Santo Subito" read a few banners asking that Pope John Paul be fast-tracked to sainthood.
On the other side of the colonnade bishops in purple and clergy in creams and browns were arriving in streams. Limousines, too. Police kept everyone moving. A side street was covered in green plastic water bottles and litter, the detritus from the night before where so many slept. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Hare Krishnas began to arrive in a bunch of splendid colours.
8.20: Jewish leaders arrived wearing white skull caps. The limousines were stalled and backed up around a corner. The square filled up as people took their places. Both fountains had been switched off. Clergy in white, wearing red stoles, filled up an area in front of the altar, while all dignitaries were in black.
Near Santo Marcellino, the view was better, right above where the cardinals sat. Two nonchalant pigeons pottered briefly on a ledge high up near St Peter's doorway. A bottom pane in the great window on the left of the basilica was broken. It became very windy and cold all of a sudden.
8.45: There was a stiff breeze. Black-clad Orthodox clergy arrived and took their seats. Banners in the growing crowd read "Krakow", "Solidarity". Polish, but they chant in Italian. "Giovanni Paulo, Giovanni Paulo," clapping to a rhythm.
9.10: Other Christian denominations arrived, exotic Copts, more black Orthodox, and Anglicans led by Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams.
The dignitaries' seats filled up with one unidentified Middle Eastern man clad head to toe in brown and still clearly cold. He sat impassively as the winds tore at the beige carpet leading to the altar.
Bishops' skull caps began to lift off, but were firmly disciplined by hands used to control.
9.20: As President Chirac of France was greeted before the altar by Archbishop James Harvey, the Vatican head of protocol, a mighty gust of wind lifted the carpet from its moorings. Two young men got to work frantically pinning it down. In the middle of this King Juan Carlos of Spain arrived.
9.45: Iran's President Khatami arrived and when he got to the VIP area he was greeted warmly by others in his vicinity. The great bell of St Peter's began to toll.
9.50: President Bush arrived with his wife Laura, his father George snr, and Bill Clinton. Condoleezza Rice arrived just after them. President Khatami sat impassively looking away as they walked past to their seats some distance away. The Americans were greeted with handshakes.
The cardinals took their seats, the last to do so being Cardinal Avery Dulles of the US, who walked slowly with a stick.
10.00: The Mass began. As the coffin was carried out by 12 pallbearers the crowd applauded at length. The dignitaries did not do so, but stood.
10.34: The wind blew. The opened Gospel on Pope John Paul's coffin blew shut. It was cold. There was a lot of gesticulation by excited attendants, with some pointing among the bishops. They went in and eventually a bishop was taken out by wheelchair. They wheeled him into St Peter's.
10.40: Cardinal Ratzinger began his homily. It was interrupted by applause at intervals. It was almost interrupted, a number of times, by another attendant who kept running in and out of St Peter's excitedly, looking up anxiously at the Risen Christ and wondering whether he would be blown down. The Mass proceeded.
11.35: At the sign of peace there was much hand shaking among the dignitaries. Quite a few shook hands with President Khatami, as they did with President Bush. Later President Khatami spent quite a while looking in President Bush's direction.
The cardinals lined up on both sides of the coffin, while the wind blew them about like great scarlet sails. They were greeted by prolonged applause as the crowd realised the final rite was about to begin.
The Litany of the Saints was sung. Latin rite Catholics came forward to perform their farewell ritual, with incense and prayers. The smell of incense could be detected on the colonnade. President Bush, now standing for sometime, adjusted his tie again. A gust of wind hit the cardinals, who reached for their skull caps in sequence.
12.30: The funeral procession began. The 12 pallbearers emerged and lifted the coffin from the carpet where it had been placed. This time the dignitaries and the bishops and all clergy of all faiths present joined in the applause.
12.36: The coffin was carried to St Peter's followed by the chief mourners. The great bell tolled.
12.40: The pallbearers turned the coffin to the crowd and dipped its front in final salute. There was momentous applause.
The sun emerged briefly. A helicopter clattered overhead. The coffin was then brought inside St Peter's, followed by the cardinals.
12.47: A moment of confusion as dignitaries sat, seeming unsure what to do. The crowd was quiet.
Eventually President Bush emerged from his seat with his wife, father, former president Clinton, and Condoleezza Rice. They headed towards St Peter's, Mr Clinton nodding to people he recognised among the other dignitaries.
12.56: The bishops began to leave, as did the crowd.