VATICAN CITY -- He's already the most-traveled pope, visiting 129 foreign countries.

And he's elevated more individuals into sainthood than all his predecessors over the last 500 years combined.

Now, Pope John Paul has added another milestone to his career, passing Pope Leo XIII to become the third longest-serving pontiff in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

The longest pontificate -- almost 32 years -- was that of the 19th-century Pope Pius IX.

John Paul celebrated his 25th anniversary as pope last October.

Today's record went largely unheralded.

John Paul didn't mention it in his Sunday remarks in St. Peter's Square, devoting them instead to the bombings in Spain that killed 200 people.

He called the attacks "barbaric,'' and said "those who believe in God, Creator and Father of all men, must feel compelled to work for the creation of a more fraternal and solid world.''