AP is reporting that Apcom, an Italian news agency, has news of Pope John Paul II's condition worsening:

Apcom said doctors had to intervene because of a "worrying lowering of (blood) pressure." The news agency also said the pope reportedly had a high fever.

A Vatican official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was unaware the pontiff's condition had worsened, adding that the pope's situation was "regular" a few hours ago.

This is worth watching very closely. The news reports have looked worse and worse for the pope, even with the Vatican working to put the best spin possible on his health situation.

The death of Pope John Paul II will have a profound effect on a discussion of church teaching, as the College of Cardinals chooses a replacement who will be measured against his predecessor's deeply conservative leadership.

The selection of a new pope could be the equivalent of a constitutional convention for the Roman Catholic Church - everything could be on the table, theoretically: women priests, gay marriage, birth control, the culture of life. But those big-ticket items aren't likely to change, even though there will likely be a lot of speculation about where a new pope stands on those issues. Pope John Paul II has selected almost every single one of the cardinals who will vote for his successor.

What would not be in dispute is that, no matter who a new pope would be, the church's billion-plus Catholics would - for the first time in years - have a leader without physical disabilities limiting his public voice.

Expect this story will not fade away, even if Apcom is incorrect today.