Czech Catholics join millions around the world in mourning the death of Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II died at just after nine-thirty on Saturday evening. He was the first Slav head of the Catholic Church in history. Although most Czechs are not practising Catholics, he was very popular in the Czech Republic, and hugely respected for his role in helping to bring about the fall of communism. The head of the Czech Catholic Church, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, said the Pope had been a great person and a great Christian. He pointed in particular to the Pontiff's untiring fight for human rights, both before and after the end of the Cold War. The priest and former Czech dissident Tomas Halik pointed to his personal charisma and to his symbolic significance. Czech was one of the many languages that the Pope spoke, and he visited the Czech Republic three times during his papacy, firstly in 1990 - less than a year after the fall of communism.