CHRISTIANS throughout the Vale and the Cotswolds are mourning the death of Pope John Paul II this week.

Pope John Paul died at the age of 84 after suffering from ill health for several years. The cause of death was septic shock and irreversible heart failure.

Catholics in Evesham joined in services and prayers at St Mary's RC Church to pay tribute to the Pope.

Father Peter Rogers said: "Special services were held last Sunday and a lot of people attended to pay tribute to the Pope including a large number of Poles. It was nice to see everyone attending to pay their respects."

Father Rogers held a Requiem Mass on Tuesday for the Pontiff whose funeral is due to take place tomorrow.

The Catholic priest of Chipping Campden and Moreton, Father John Brennan, said the response demonstrated the significance of the Pope's death to the Catholic community.

"Like all Catholic parishes we are very sad and are feeling great emptiness at the Pope's passing. At the same time we feel that his journey on this side of the grave, as it were, is over and that he has been released from his suffering so, it is a mixture of sadness and thanksgiving that he has gone to God."

Father Brennan said he had seen the Pope three times during Papal visits to Canterbury, Cardiff and Ireland. "Now it is a case of waiting to see who will be the next Pope - that is anybody's guess at the moment but we should know in a couple of weeks."

Anglican leaders from Evesham also included the Pope in their thoughts. The Rev Richard Armitage of All Saint's Church, Evesham, said: "We offer our sincere condolences to those who are members of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II was a man who gained the respect of governments throughout the world and challenged those who abused their political powers."

Special prayers were being said for the Pontiff at All Saint's throughout this week and a condolence book is available for the congregation to sign.

The Rev Stephen Mullings, from the Methodist Church at Waterside, said: "When carrying out our normal services we say special prayers for the people of the Roman Catholic faith. Prayers will be on-going until a new Pope is appointed."