 "Photo: Jeff Mills")
Sadness was only one of the emotions expressed by Ohio State students mourning the death of Pope John Paul II at the St. Thomas More Newman Center yesterday.
"It's almost a relief for me, because he is in a better place now" said Courtney Osborne, a senior in speech and hearing science. "I'm looking forward to the experience of going through the process of choosing a new pope and wondering who will be picked. (I'm) hoping that the new pope will pick up where Pope John Paul left off and try to keep up what he started."
Cathy Pham, a freshman in biology, said she mostly felt a sense of loss when she learned the pope had died.
"I feel almost empty on the inside," she said. "It is like you lost a part of your family. I almost felt like I have known him all of my life although I have never talked to him. I knew it was going to happen, but it was still shocking to hear it on the news."
Students and clergy demonstrated a fondness and respect for the legacy and example the pope lived by.
"For young Catholics like myself, we have come of age under only one pope, which is completely unique," said Luke Perez, a junior in political science. "He completely changed the way that we viewed the papacy. He made it almost like an iconic position that we looked to almost on a daily basis, more so than our parents did."
Perez said the pope was able to utilize tools that were available to him, such as the media, to demonstrate his vision of what the papacy meant to previous generations as well.
Rev. Larry Rice, director at the Newman Center on West Lane Avenue, said he is sad to see the pontiff go, especially since he had such a tremendous influence on the Catholic Church and the rest of the world over the past 26 years.
"He had influence on the world's religious observance, influence on the world's politics," Rice said. "He has been so outspoken on behalf of life issues and on behalf of the poor, and was instrumental in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, so it is sad to see his reign come to an end."
However, Rice also said on one level it is a relief to see the pope's suffering come to an end. Rice said he knows God will look after the Catholic Church, and its mission will continue.
"We rejoice that he has entered into eternal life and that his suffering here has come to a conclusion," he said.
Attendance at Newman Center Masses rose about 20 percent yesterday, said Rice, who based his estimation on the turnout for the center's morning and 6 p.m. Masses.
"More students than usual are here for a typical Sunday," Rice said. "(I think) people feel the need to pay their respects in any way they can."
In honor of the pope's life, Rice said the Newman Center will be holding a memorial Mass tomorrow at 5:30 p.m.
Campus Editor Lindsay Holmwood contributed to this story.
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