Here's an article written when JPII died in April 2005 - it talks about how his body showed signs of decay.
Pope's body 'lightly embalmed'
Meanwhile, a Rome embalmer said on Friday that Pope John Paul II's body probably was lightly embalmed before being exposed for public viewing for four days before his funeral and burial.
Massimo Signoracci, whose family embalmed three previous popes but was not involved in John Paul's preparations, said some kind of treatment had to be done to allow the body to be on display on an open platform inside St Peter's Basilica.
"For a four-day viewing, injections of formaldehyde and other preserving liquids are necessary," Signoracci said, cautioning that he could not be certain what had been done without examining the body.
The Vatican has said John Paul's body was not embalmed, only "prepared" for viewing by hundreds of thousands of mourners, refusing to elaborate on the procedure used.
Experts who have seen the body reported seeing dark stains under the pope's chin and on his hands.
"It's not clear from TV coverage, but I've been told that the body is showing the first signs of decay," Signoracci said.
John Paul died Saturday night, and his remains were put on public view two days later, until Thursday.
Maria Campos Guereta, a 29-year-old banker from Jerez, Spain, was among the last mourners to file past the body on
Thursday.
"Truth be told, he looked really haggard," she said.