L.A. MARKS POPE'S DEATH.

Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer

The death of Pope John Paul II - a champion of the poor who visited nearly every corner of the globe - reverberated Saturday throughout Los Angeles County, home to the nation's largest archdiocese and one of its most diverse populations.

Throngs of Roman Catholic mourners crowded evening Masses, held in 29 different languages - from Spanish and Aramiac to Polish - celebrating the pope as their religious leader and a formidable promoter of freedom and human rights.

And in Protestant churches, synagogues and mosques, ministers, rabbis and imams were offering their condolences as people of all faiths offered praise for the pontiff who reached out to all with his message of hope.

``He did not separate Catholics from every other religion. He was a man for all people - not only Polish and not only Catholic,'' said Irene Pawlowski, a volunteer at Our Lady of the Bright Mount Catholic Church, a predominantly Polish parish in Los Angeles.

The Polish-born Karol Wojtyla, then a cardinal, visited the church for three days in 1976. Two years later, the charismatic and fit 58-year-old was named the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.

``He changed the church for us,'' said Maria Luisa Ortiz, a 59-year-old Pacoima resident who twice saw the pope - once in her native Mexico and again on his 1987 trip to Los Angeles.

``He had an intense love for the world, peace and he helped the poor. He was so important to my life.''

Pope John Paul's whirlwind visit to Los Angeles on Sept. 15 and 16, 1987, was symbolic of his 27-year papacy, in which he traveled to more than 100 countries and reached out to people of every culture.

Waving to screaming crowds from his bullet-proof popemobile, he traveled through Chinatown and Koreatown. He stayed in the clerical quarters at the old St. Vibiana's Cathedral near Skid Row.

And during open-air Masses at the Coliseum and Dodger Stadium, he spoke about Los Angeles' special place in a diverse and global church.

``In the church in Los Angeles, Christ is Anglo and Hispanic. Christ is Chinese and black. Christ is Vietnamese and Irish. Christ is Korean and Italian. Christ is Japanese and Filipino. Christ is Native American, Croatian, Samoan, and many other ethnic groups,'' he told the crowd of 60,000 worshippers at Dodger Stadium.

Catholics and non-Catholics from around the globe were touched by his denouncement of communism, message of human rights, and justice for the poor.

``He did something good for communities around the world. He talked about peace,'' said Daniel Song, a priest at the Valley Korean Central Presbyterian Church in North Hills as he prepared for today's services. ``We will be praying for him.''

The pope also has been hailed for his efforts to build a relationship with the Jews, issuing a sweeping apology in which he expressed sorrow for wrongs done by the Catholic Church over the past 2,000 years and decrying acts of anti-Semitism.

``One of his greatest contributions is the fact that he opened himself up to a Jewish world in a way no pope has ever done,'' said Rabbi Steven Jacobs of Kol Tikvah in Woodland Hills, noting the pope's visits to Jerusalem and a synagogue in Rome.

And during Sabbath services this Friday, he plans to deliver a sermon on the legacy of Pope John Paul II.

``He changed the whole relationship between Jews and Catholics.''

Pope John Paul II also urged Muslims and Christians to work together, and in a trip to Damascus, Syria, in May 2001, became the first pope to step into a mosque.

``He was one who dedicated his life to promoting understanding among all faiths,'' said Sabiha Kahn, spokeswoman for the Council on American Islamic Relations of Southern California. ``His message of international peace will be one that reverberates for decades to come.''

The first pope to be computer-literate and ski, he brought the church into modernity in a way no other pope had.

``He was moving with time. He had seen World War II, the Nazi era. And he was a modernizer. He recognized modern problems,'' said Varadarajan Ravindran, the vice president of the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California, who plans next Saturday to deliver a message of peace in honor of the pope.

``I may have not agreed with all his policies, but he tailored his values to the region. And he respected other religions. He is a peacemaker.''

Staff Writer Lisa M. Sodders contributed to this report.

Rachel Uranga, [phone]

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Parishioners jam together to touch a portrait of the deceased Pope John II after Saturday's Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. More reaction, Pages 10 & 12.

(2) Maria Angela Cabrera Delgado prays during Saturday's Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer