LONDON (AP) - From a dusty embassy compound in Afghanistan to London's cathedrals and mosques, millions around the world gathered yesterday to remember those who died in the Sept. 11 attacks and to offer prayers for peace and tolerance.

At London's St. Paul's Cathedral, 3,000 white rose petals fluttered down from the dome - one for each victim who died last Sept. 11.

A cellist played a Bach suite and the congregation of 2,000 remained silent as the petals fell. Moments earlier, they joined people around the world in observing a moment of silence at the moment the first hijacked jet struck the World Trade Center last year.

Religious leaders condemned the attacks.

"No situation of hurt, no philosophy or religion can ever justify such a grave offense on human life and dignity," Pope John Paul II said at his weekly audience at the Vatican. But he called on the world to heal injustices that cause explosive hatreds.

At London Central Mosque, Muslim leaders offered Quranic prayers for peace, justice and tolerance.

Security was heightened at U.S. facilities and other locations around the world. The United States had warned the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations that al-Qaida may be planning truck bombings to mark the anniversary, but the day passed with no attacks reported in Asia.

Not all saw the day as a time to mourn.

In Iraq, which the United States has threatened to attack for allegedly developing weapons of mass destruction, the state-owned Al-Iktisadi newspaper covered its front page yesterday with a photograph of a burning World Trade Center Tower and a two-word headline in red: "God's punishment."

"Events like Sept. 11 are sad but it is an opportunity for the American people to feel what bombing could do to nations," said Ali Ahmed, a 47-year-old who owns a Baghdad stationery shop.

But around the world, it was a day of simple, heartfelt gestures. In Sydney, Australia, thousands of motorists turned on their headlights at 8:46 a.m. as a mark of respect for those who died.

Cities around the globe paused for moments of silence, while candles were lighted and flowers laid outside U.S. embassies from Copenhagen to Moscow to Manila.

In Paris, two powerful beams of light were projected into the sky Tuesday to honor the memory of the victims - a project to be repeated Yesterday night. In Pisa, Italy, a white banner placed by the Leaning Tower read: "From the tower to the towers. Sept. 11, 2002. Memory, solidarity and peace."

Beginning with choirs in New Zealand and Japan, 180 singing groups in 20 time zones began a"Rolling Requiem," singing Mozart's masterpiece. The requiem rang out at the National Theater in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and was played by the Israeli Chamber Orchestra in Tel Aviv.

Political leaders around the world expressed their sorrow and solidarity.

"France knows what it owes America," French President Jacques Chirac told a ceremony at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Paris. "The French people stand with all their hearts at the side of the American people."

Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned President Bush to express his condolences, telling him: In Russia, they say that time cures, but we cannot forget. We must not forget."

In the Middle East, Palestinian and Israeli leaders condemned the attacks - but disagreed about their significance.

At a commemoration ceremony in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon included Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority among sponsors of terrorism that "are all inseparable parts of the same axis of evil that threatens the peace and stability in every place in the world."

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat accused Sharon of "kidnapping" Sept. 11 and using it as a pretext for cracking down on the Palestinians.

In Afghanistan, a country battered and transformed by the events of Sept. 11, soldiers and diplomats unveiled the site where a piece of the World Trade Center was buried under the flagpole at the U.S. Embassy, as a bugler played taps and the Stars and Stripes was lowered to half staff.

A steel-gray marble headstone marked the resting place of the remains brought from the ruined towers by a Marine from New York. Inscribed on it: "We serve because they cannot."