ATTLEBORO -- With grieving hearts, local Catholics bid farewell to Pope John Paul II Thursday, seeking comfort in prayer and each other, as they mourned a pontiff loved worldwide.

`` Our hearts are broken, but his soul lives on,'' Fatima Bigda, a Catholic parishioner, told others gathered at LaSalette Shrine.

Hundreds attended Thursday night's Mass, as untold numbers of the faithful from around the world traveled to Rome, and slept in tents and on city streets awaiting John Paul's funeral today.

Area faithful gathered to personally say goodbye to the pope, who died Saturday at age 84, with a special service that honored his love of children and efforts to unite Catholics globally.