Local students and religious leaders agree that Pope John Paul II's legacy will be his ability to transcend both religion and politics by reaching out to people of all faiths.

Students attended a Mass at 4 p.m. Saturday at Pasquerilla Spiritual Center that was organized by the Catholic Campus Ministry.

The pope, considered by many to have bridged gaps between religions, was the first pope to visit a synagogue and a mosque.

"He wasn't just Catholic," said Nicholas Vlajic (freshman-mechanical engineering), who attended Saturday's Mass. "He prayed with Muslims and Jews and really crossed religious lines."

Deacon David Lapinski of Our Lady of Victory Church, 820 Westerly Parkway, said the church did not have a special service planned to honor the pope, but he added that the church never closes.

"We remember the Holy Father at every Mass we have," Lapinski said. "People have been coming in constantly over the last four or five days and sometimes sobbing."

Lapinski said the pontiff would be remembered for being honest and getting involved in issues of the day.

"He spoke the truth whether people wanted to hear it or not," he said.

The Rev. Philip Bender, pastor of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 867 Grays Woods Blvd., said the pope's influential role as a world leader in politics was "undeniable."

"Apart from his role in the Catholic Church, there's no question about it," Bender said. "The number of places he's visited in the world, including the United States, shows just what kind of impact he's had in the world."

The late pontiff traveled more than any other pope during his tenure, visiting 129 countries, including Cuba and Chile.

The Rev. Pam Ford of St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 109 McAllister St., said that the pope was a world spiritual leader for all people.

"We share in the sadness with our brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church," she said. "We feel gratitude for John Paul II even though we didn't always agree with what he said."

Ford said the pope was clearly a "God-sent" person.

"As Protestants, we agree with him being an advocate of justice and making a strong stand for peace," she said.

Pope John Paul II was appointed in 1978, making him the only pontiff most college students have ever known.

"It's a big thing since he's been the pope for 26 years," Vlajic said. "It's going to take awhile to set in."

Michael Springer (freshman-statistics) said the pope's death was difficult to deal with.

"It's like a member of your own family died, like your mother or father," he said. "He was the moral leader for the church and for anybody who believed."

Bender said the impact of the pope's death on the Catholic community depends on his successor.

"No popes have been exactly the same or have had the same style," he said. "So it's difficult to predict what the new pope will do."

Lapinski said that although the pope has died, the Catholic Church will persevere.

"We will continue on," he said. "The next pope can't change the truth, but he will be the one to lead us."