Pope John Paul II died at 1:37 p.m. Central Daylight TIme Saturday after months of health problems in his apartment in Vatican City. The pope’s journeys took him to about 130 countries and on 104 trips outside of Italy, where he touched billions of lives.

“The Pontiff’s legacy is much deeper and more complex than a listing of his records and achievements,” according to an article in the Rockford Register Star. “Through his encounters…he was powered by an undeniable and uncompromising faith that touched every word he said and every step he took.” The pope reached out to a synagogue in Rome and to a mosque in Damascus, Syria, showing a focus on other world religions rather than focusing solely on Catholicism. He was a truly positive and genuine world leader, whose impact reached millions outside of his faith.

He represented leadership qualities beyond compare. His genuine goodness and compassion was something that separated him from any other leader who exists in the modern world.

He was the first Polish pontiff, and was the longest to serve in more than a century. His papacy reigned for more than 26 years. This is more time than we, as college students, may be aware of.

From a college standpoint, Pope John Paul II is the only pope the traditional-aged college students have ever known. While that could take away from the true significance that he holds in a collegiate mind, it also means he set the standard for leadership. He is the standard. The death of this man not only means a pope and a world leader has now passed on, but also signifies the the loss of one of the world’s truly good and dedicated individuals. We have lost a man dedicated to global betterment.

With his focus on unity and bonds within faiths and individuals that overstepped the bounds of race and ethnicity, Pope John Paul II reached into the bodies and hearts of billions of people and showed them in a sometimes ugly and hateful world, love and faith can prevail.

As college students, adults and human beings, the efforts and the legacy of Pope John Paul II should be remembered and celebrated. All we can do from here is to celebrate the man and look into the future with hopeful eyes, praying someone with devotion can continue to lead with compassion and the vision of unity.