NATCHEZ &045;&045; Pope John Paul II’s last will and testament, released Thursday, included a simple request: Masses and prayers after his death.

Parishioners at St. Mary Basilica offered just that Thursday afternoon, hours before the pope would be laid to rest in Rome. They offered prayers in remembrance of the beloved pontiff, and asked simply that God welcome him home.

&uot;John Paul accomplished enormous things in his lifetime,&uot; St. Mary pastor Father David O’Connor said during a memorial Mass at the church.

Even at the end of his life, as his death became a public event, the pope taught the world about suffering, O’Connor said.

&uot;He has given us a sense that death is not a punishment,&uot; O’Connor said.

The pope’s death in this life should give hope to those who are suffering, because his eternal life in heaven has just begun, O’Connor said.

&uot;Maybe that might lend hope and prop up the struggling faith of those who are suffering,&uot; he said.

Indeed, a Scripture reading from the book of Wisdom attests to that: &uot;The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment can reach them.&uot;

A reading from the gospel of Matthew &045;&045; the passage known as the Beatitudes &045;&045; exemplified John Paul’s life, O’Connor said, particularly that &uot;blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.&uot;

The pope, who traveled to more than 125 counties during his 26-year papacy, often tried to foster peace among nations.

And he lived all of the other beatitudes as well, showing mercy as he forgave the man who shot and wounded him in 1981.

Pope John Paul II was &uot;a good man, a great man, who became a public figure,&uot; O’Connor said.

O’Connor also noted that St. Mary Basilica itself is the pope’s church in Mississippi. St. Mary is one of 55 minor basilicas in the United States.

A condolence book is in the St. Mary vestibule for anyone who wishes to sign it. O’Connor said this is an opportunity not only for church members but also for others in the community who wish to express sympathy at the loss of Pope Paul II.

&uot;It’s been an amazing week of messages of sympathy that have arrived at the church office,&uot; O’Connor said.