The Archbishop of Birmingham has flown to Rome to pray for the dead Pope and will provide commentary for the BBC's coverage of the funeral.
The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols flew to Italy on Tuesday and yesterday joined the throngs of worshippers who have travelled there to pray for the Pope.
At St Peter's Basilica, where the Pope's body is lying in state, thousands of people are queuing for up to 12 hours for the opportunity to pray over it. The Archbishop was able to use a special door granted for the use of bishops to bypass the crowds.
"I was very privileged to be able to spend half an hour praying near the body of Pope John Paul," said Archbishop Nichols.
The funeral will begin at 9am British time tomorrow and will last between two and three hours. The Archbishop will return to Birmingham for a special vespers ceremony dedicated to Pope John Paul at St Chad's on Sunday at 5pm.
The Lord Mayor Coun Mike Nangle, other civic leaders, and a wide spectrum of faith representatives have been invited to attend the service.
A Requiem mass led by Bishop Philip Pargeter will be held at St Chad's at 12.15pm tomorrow while a Requiem mass sung in Latin will take place at Birmingham Oratory on Hagley Road at 8pm.
"The masses are open to everybody, of any faith or none at all," said Mr Jennings. "Even if people have simply been moved by TV pictures, they are welcome to attend."
