The cathedral remained open throughout the night. The Vatican flag and a black flag will be displayed on it as a sign of respect for one of the most charismatic persons in the world.
The residents of the southern city of Zadar received the news of the pope's death with great sadness, lighting candles in front of churches in the city centre. In their first reactions, they recalled the pope's visit to their city on June 9, 2003, during his third pastoral visit to Croatia, when he was welcomed by some 150,000 people whom he greeted with "My beloved Croatian people".
The bells of St. Domnius Cathedral in another coastal city, Split, tolled after the news of the pope's death. Numerous believers had gathered in the cathedral and other churches throughout Dalmatia to pray for the pope's health.
The Holy Father visited Split in October 1998. Tears and sadness at the great loss were the first reactions of the faithful, who said that they had expected the pope's death and now prayed for him to thank him for what he had done for Croatia and the entire world.
The news of the pope's death was received with sadness also in eastern Croatia, which the pope visited on June 7, 2003. Citizens, representatives of religious communities and local leaders expressed their sadness at his death.
The Catholic bishop of Djakovo and Srijem, Msgr. Marin Srakic, said that John Paul II was one of the greatest figures of our time and that "he was and remains to be the moral figure which we will always remember, primarily for his easy communication with people and great words".
The head of the Islamic community in Osijek-Baranja County, effendi Enes Poljic, said that "the world has lost its greatest moral authority, the man who worked with great sincerity and dedication to building ties between all religions and religious communities". "The Muslims in Osijek had prayed that his suffering be eased and we know that all of us are walking the same path towards the same end," Poljic said.
The Serb Orthodox bishop of Osijek and Baranja, Lukijan, who met the Holy Father with Poljic in 2003, extended his condolences to the archbishop of Zagreb, Caridnal Josip Bozanic.
"His Holiness was a tireless toiler working to bring closer to one another all Christian churches and people of good will. He was a great missionary and a true evangelist of peace and love of the Gospel," Lukijan said in his letter of condolence among other things.
"A great man is gone," said Darko Fischer, until recently the long-standing president of the Osijek Jewish community. "Pope John Paul II helped bring people together with his seriousness, kindness and deeds," Fischer said.
After the news of the pope's death, the residents of the northern Adriatic city of Rijeka, who had prayed in churches for his health, gathered in the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes and a local shrine called Our Lady of Trsat.
The pope has a special place in Rijeka's religious community, as well as among ordinary citizens, because he spent four days in the city during his last visit to Croatia on 5-9 June 2003. From Rijeka, he travelled to Osijek, Djakovo, Dubrovnik and Zadar, to return at the end of the day to his temporary residence in Rijeka.