Vatican City ? He’s already the most-traveled pope, visiting 129 foreign countries. And he’s made more saints than all his predecessors in the last 500 years combined.

But on Sunday, Pope John Paul II added another milestone to his career, becoming the third longest-serving pontiff in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

John Paul, who celebrated his 25th anniversary as pope on Oct. 16, surpassed the 9,280 days reached by Pope Leo XIII in 1903 to move into third place on the papal longevity list.

Unlike other milestones officially celebrated by the Vatican, Sunday’s record went largely unheralded: John Paul did not even refer to it in his Sunday remarks in St. Peter’s Square, devoting them instead to last week’s bombings in Spain that killed 200 people.

The Vatican Web site, however, did update its papal statistics chart to reflect John Paul’s new standing, and Vatican Radio also listed his accomplishment as one of its top stories of the day.

“John Paul II has passed such arduous and unique tests that fill us with marvel and thanks,” Catholic historian and commentator Giorgio Rumi told Vatican Radio.

The Vatican lists St. Peter, the first pope, as serving from A.D. 30 to 64 or 67 — a total of either 34 or 37 years. Second on the longevity list is Pius IX, who served 31 years, seven months and 22 days until Feb. 7, 1878.

John Paul began his papacy setting precedent: He was the first Polish pope ever and the first non-Italian one in 455 years. At 58, he also was the youngest pope elected in a century.

Over the years, he added more firsts. On May 24, 1998, he became the longest-reigning pope elected in the 20th century, beating out Pope Pius XII who served 19 years, seven months and seven days between 1939 and 1958.

Of all his predecessors, John Paul is believed to be the most prolific in terms of literary output. Over his pontificate, he has issued 14 encyclicals — the church’s most authoritative document, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions and 43 apostolic letters.

John Paul also has traveled more than any previous pope, making 102 trips abroad and visiting 129 separate countries, many of them multiple times.

John Paul has another milestone ahead, turning 84 on May 18.