Tall candles and blossoming white flowers sat below a picture of Pope John Paul II at his memorial Mass last night, held by Penn State's Catholic Campus Ministry.

About 100 students and community members gathered to pay their respects to the late pope at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center.

"Not only did the church lose a great leader, but the world also lost a great leader," Greg Pitchford (junior-crime, law and justice) said. "We owe it to the pope to show up today and pay our respects."

The Rev. Matthew Laffey led the memorial Mass last night, which he said was planned early this week, shortly after the pope's death.

"This generation of people only knew one pope but they realize that he was
84 years old and lived a long life," he said.

The service included the songs "For All the Saints" and "Be Not Afraid," as well as a poem the pope had written before he was elected pope.

Erin Meyer (senior-math) said she thought the pope was an amazing person and wanted to come out and give tribute to him.

"The pope didn't just affect people of the Catholic faith, he affected everyone," she said. "He was looked at as an inspiration to many people."

The discussion of who the next pope will start on April 18, which is an event most college students have never seen in their lifetime.

The funeral is set to begin in the Vatican at 10 a.m. (4 a.m. EST) today.

Erica Barth (sophomore-management) said the pope lived a long, prosperous life and he was extremely close to God.

"He had such a strong relationship with God during his life," she said. "At this time in our lives, we get to see another pope get chosen which brings us even closer to our faith."

During the memorial, students read an Easter message from the pope and Laffey read passages from the Bible as part of the remembrance for the pope.

"We put the life and suffering of John Paul II into the life and suffering of Christ," Laffey said. "He provided all of us with hope in this complicated time in history."

At the end of the ceremony, students prayed for the pope and sang "Jerusalem, My Happy Home," before the Mass came to an end.

"We gather as God's people to thank God for his gifts," Laffey said. "Thank you for coming out and praying with us, remembering the beautiful life of Pope John Paul II."

Throngs of pilgrims -- the hardiest of some 4 million who flooded Rome -- were rewarded for holding out after police closed off the line Wednesday night waiting to view John Paul's remains in St. Peter's Basilica. In the morning, the barriers were lifted for more mourners as the numbers who said a personal farewell approached 2 million since the body went on public view Monday. The basilica's towering bronze doors were closed late last night.

As dignitaries poured into the city, Rome's security agencies -- bolstered by NATO surveillance aircraft high overhead -- cranked up their defenses against everything from terrorism to unruly crowds.

Rome authorities planned to lock down the city. Starting Thursday night, vehicle traffic was banned from the city center. Air space was closed, and anti-aircraft batteries outside town were on alert. Naval ships patrolled both the Mediterranean coast and the Tiber River near Vatican City, the tiny sovereign city-state encompassed by the Italian capital.

President Bush, along with former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, knelt and prayed at the side of the pope's bier Wednesday night, then paid a courtesy call Thursday on Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. They planned dinner with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The U.S. delegation was to be joined Friday by Prince Charles, who postponed his own wedding by one day to honor the pope; by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan; and by representatives of more than 80 countries. Jewish and Muslim religious leaders will be there, along with Israel's foreign minister and the head of the Arab League.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.