The Rev. Blaine said the pope was perhaps a little shorter than average in height, 5 foot 7 inches or so, "in good condition, before he started taking all the medications," which caused swelling.

"It's a great loss for us. He was a great leader, a great man, a great shepherd. We'll miss him, but he had a good, long life, served the church, served God, and he's with God in heaven."

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., in a condolence letter to Bishop Niederauer, lauded the pope's "beautiful teachings of peace, hope and reconciliation," noting he "spoke peace to the souls of some our world's most downtrodden and forgotten people. . . . As Christ did, he spent his time with those in need of comfort."

Cole Durham, professor of law and international religious freedom expert at Brigham Young University, said Catholic attitudes toward religious freedom have expanded greatly under John Paul.

"He is really a towering figure who had a tremendous impact on the the unraveling of communism in Eastern Europe." Coming from what at the time was a communist nation "gave him an initial burst of moral authority and support and respect across a lot of faith traditions that will be difficult to match."

With his combination of moral courage and extraordinary intellectual talent, "everyone is going to look sort of gray compared to that. He will be a very hard act to follow," Durham said.

Richard Holtzapfel, a religion professor at BYU, said Utahns resonated with the pontiff as a "moral man with strong feelings" who was fearless in his condemnation of same-sex marriage and abortion. Such views correspond with the views of most Latter-day Saints and evangelical Christians. "There's been a sense that on these issues we have a colleague and friend." Though his physical stature had become bent with age, his moral authority had grown taller with time, he said.

Brian Birch, director of religious studies at Utah Valley State College, said the pope's conservatism "has been one of the most intriguing and controversial aspects of his tenure, especially coming in the wake of some of the post progressive developments in the church's history." There is "every indication that his influence will continue to be strong for generations. His long tenure has allowed him to select 70 percent of the bishops and 130 of the 135 cardinals" who will elect his successor.

That change of leadership doesn't create any angst for the monks at Our Lady of the Holy Trinity in Huntsville, who expressed sadness, coupled with a sense of relief "that the pope is no longer suffering," said Abbot Casimir Bernas.

"For us, in a way, his outstanding pontificate is being recognized by the whole world, but in a sense he passes on the torch to someone else. He was entrusted with his mission and fulfilled it in a tremendous and wonderful way for some 26 years," the abbot said.

"It will be very difficult for his successor to fill the void. But in a way I feel there are always unexpected surprises ahead."

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Contributing: Alan Edwards, Deseret Morning News; and News wire services

E-mail: carrie@desnews.com