NATCHEZ &045; The pope who will succeed John Paul II will have a number of issues to deal with, and some are specific to the Catholic church in America.

And some students at Cathedral School have some specific ideas about what they want to see in a new pope.

Faith, a willingness to travel and an open mind are just a few of the things the students told St. Mary Basilica pastor David O’Connor they would like to see in the next pope.

&uot;He should not look down on other religions,&uot; 10th-grader Alana Malone said. &uot;Also, he should be more open-minded&uot; on issues such as women being ordained and priests being able to marry.

Pope John Paul II died Saturday at the age of 84, completing the third-longest papacy in history. His funeral is set for Friday, and sometime after that the Catholic Church’s college of cardinals will meet in secret to elect a new pope.

&uot;I just hope whoever takes his place will be willing to travel the world,&uot; O’Connor told the students. &uot;It’s hard to see anybody emerging who has a new way of thinking. (John Paul II) was ahead of everybody else.&uot;

Teacher Vickie Malone said she hopes the cardinals &045; who have not set a date as of Monday for the beginning of their conclave &045; will choose the right person for the church.

&uot;Since I heard of John Paul’s death, my prayer has been that the Holy Spirit moves the cardinals, and that we get the pope we need, not someone who is a political choice,&uot; she said.

O’Connor also discussed with students the impact Pope John Paul II had on the Catholic Church and on the world.

In particular, he talked about the pope’s role with you. John Paul II, the most well traveled pontiff, was the first pope to hold massive youth rallies around the world.

&uot;I think it was his idea to do youth prayer,&uot; Alana Malone said. &uot;If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have so many (church) activities for youth.&uot;

The pope was a great leader not only for the church but for the world, O’Connor said. Although John Paul was not a political leader, he did influence politics, as when he encouraged the Solidarity movement in his native Poland.

&uot;He was able to be objective without worrying if people liked (what he had to say)&uot; O’Connor said.

&uot;He reached out to the leaders of the Israelis and Palestinians, but that didn’t stop him from telling them they needed to stop shooting each other and come to the conference table. Š

&uot;It’s not political power in a regular sense, but he does have influence.&uot;