Servus Servorum Dei

Today, His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, passed from this life to the next.

I admit I am both saddened and pleased by the news.
Saddened because he was a man to admire, a man of deep faith and concern for the world, a worthy successor to St. Peter's chair, who left an indelible mark on the Catholic Church and on the world as a whole.
Pleased because he is no longer suffering in a body worn by age and crippling disease, and that now he is running joyfully to the arms of the Lord he loved and served so well, and to the companionship of his family and friends and all the saints who have gone before.

I have only been Catholic for a few years, and I never had the honor of meeting him face to face. I have been in St. Peter's square for a papal blessing, this past May, and that was an experience I will never forget.

Rest in peace, John Paul, and pray for us who still have a long way to go....