The United Nations has condoled the death of Pope John Paul II, hailing him as an 'advocate of peace', a pioneer in interfaith dialogue and a strong moral force.
In his message, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the Pope was 'a strong force for critical self-evaluation by the Church itself'.
Annan also praised the Pope's role as a 'spiritual guide to more than a billion men, women and children'.
Annan, who had met the Pope several times in recent years, said he was always struck by the Pope's commitment to the United Nations.
Talking about the Pope's vision of the United Nations, Annan recalled that the Pope had in his address to the General Assembly in 1995, said he wanted the world body to become a 'moral center where all nations of the world feel at home and develop a shared awareness of being, as it were, a 'family of nations''.
"I offer my deepest condolences to Catholics and others around world who were touched by his life of prayer and lifelong dedication to nonviolence and peace," the Secretary-General said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund said that in the death of the Pope, children have lost one of their greatest friends.
"The Pope was a great friend of children everywhere, whose compassion and caring for them will be deeply missed," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said in Manila, Philippines.
US President George Bush said the Pope was a 'champion of human freedom'.
