Today's Top Stories

           - Pope John Paul II's body has been laid to rest .
     - Sacred College of Cardinals elect Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
     - Cardinal Ratzinger officially begins leading the Catholic Church as Pope and takes the name Benedict XVI.

GOD SQUAD RADIO NEWS ALERT   -   POPE JONN PAUL II HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 84 AFTER LEADING THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH FOR NEARLY 27 YEARS  -   VATICAN SOURCES STATE THAT THE POPE DIED ON SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2005 AT 2:37 PM EST (9:37 PM VATICAN TIME) REPORTEDLY PEACEFULLY IN HIS VATICAN APARTMENT   -   CHURCH OFFICIALS REMIND THE WORLD THAT THE POPE DIED ON THE VIGIL OF THE FEAST OF THE DIVINE MERCY, A FEAST THAT THE POPE CALLED UPON ALL CATHOLIC CHURCHES TO CELEBRATE ON THE SUNDAY AFTER EASTER AND ON WHICH THE CHURCH ALSO COMMEMORATES ST. FAUSTINA WHO WAS BORN IN POLAND, AS WAS POPE JOHN PAUL II   -   IT IS BEING REPORTED THAT POPE JOHN PAUL II'S LAST WORD WAS "AMEN"   -   POPE JOHN PAUL II'S BODY WAS LAID TO REST AT ST. PETER'S BASILICA ON FRIDAY, APRIL 8TH,  AFTER THE FUNERAL MASS FOR THE HOLY FATHER   -   THE VATICAN HAS REPORTED THAT OVER 2 MILLION PEOPLE PAID THEIR RESPECTS TO THE POPE WHILE HIS BODY WAS ON PUBLIC DISPLAY, OVER 4 MILLION PEOPLE ATTENDED THE MASS OF RESURRECTION FOR THE PONTIFF, AND OVER 2 BILLION PEOPLE WATCHED THE MASS OF RESURRECTION ON THE TELEVISION BROADCASTS AROUND THE GLOBE, MAKING THE POPE'S FUNERAL THE MOST WATCHED TELEVISION EVENT IN HISTORY   -   PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH LEAD A DELEGATION OF 5 FROM THE UNITED STATES AS ONE OF THE MANY WORLD LEADERS WHO ATTENDED THE POPE'S FUNERAL   -   THE UNITED STATES DELEGATION THAT PAID THEIR RESPECTS TO POPE JOHN PAUL II INCLUDED FOMER PRESIDENT BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, CODOLEZA RICE, AND FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH   -   THE SACRED COLLEGE OF CARDINALS HAS ELECTED CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER THE 265TH SUCCESSOR OF ST. PETER AS LEADER OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH   -   CARDINAL RATZINGER, FROM GERMANY, TOOK THE NAME BENEDICT XVI, AS HE BEGAN HIS PAPACY ON TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2005   -   KEEP CHECKING BACK HERE AT WWW.ENCOUNTERWITHGOD.COM FOR MORE ON THE NEW POPE OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, BENEDICT XVI