Several students on campus, reacting to the death of Pope John Paul II, feel as though they have lost someone special. According to Records and Registration, 22.3 percent of the student body at Nicholls is Catholic. “I felt like I lost a grandfather,” Darin Branson, general studies senior from Vacherie, said. “Even though I did not know him personally, I felt like I knew him. He was a great leader that will be missed.”Pope John Paul II died on April 2 at age 84 of septic shock and cardiocirculatory collapse. People all across the world are mourning his death. Throughout the week, mourners worldwide traveled to St. Peter’s Basilica to view the pope’s body. The funeral for the pontiff will be held on Friday at 10 a.m. (5 a.m. CST).

Approximately 200 world leaders are expected to be in attendance at the funeral, including President George W. Bush, former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“It gave me a sense of relief that his sufferings were over,” Father Jim Morrison, pastor of the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Student Center, said. “It was his time, and he was finished with the things he had to do on Earth.”

Born in Poland in 1920, John Paul II was elected pope in October 1978. He was the first non-Italian pope in more than 455 years.

“Like in any death everyone is sad, but it was an end to his long sufferings, and he has gone before the Lord,” Bishop Sam Jacobs of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, said. “We give gratitude to the Lord for ending his long suffering.”

During his 26-year papacy, Pope John Paul II visited more than 125 different countries, making him the most traveled pope in history. Along with all his travels, he spoke eight different languages. Time magazine named him the 1994 Man of the Year.

The next pope will be elected by the College of Cardinals, which must meet between 15 and 20 days after the death of the pope. A two-thirds vote is needed to elect the next pope.