My internet's been down for several days, and I meant to do this earlier... On Saturday, the world lost one of its most compassionate and pious individuals. Since Thursday, I had been paying keen attention to the Pope's condition, and hoped that, as has happened several times before, he would recover his health and continue his papal duties. His death shocked and saddened me, all the more, I think, because I am not, in fact, a Catholic. Perhaps it is because I do not fully understand the inner workings of the Vatican, but I felt an extreme loss when I heard about John Paul's death. I mean, this may sound stupid, but he's the freakin' Pope! He's not supposed to die... He seemed like such a great man, someone who cared about even the smallest of God's creatures. I know that he will be fondly remembered by everyone, regardless of their religion. Although he and I did have ideological differences, I had an ample amount of respect for him, and his death really bothers me. Hopefully, there truly is a heaven somewhere, because no one deserves it more than Pope John Paul II.