An e-mail:

I’m an atheist; the notion of a diety, to me, is an absurdity. But whatever my belief, or yours, this Pope was a great, great, man and we shall all miss his moral stature. He spoke for goodness and the dignity of humanity in a way that transcended matters of faith so it would be understood as universal truths. We should consider ourself extremely lucky to see anyone like him again in our lifetime.