I've heard the "I'm not Catholic, I'm Christian" thing EVERYWHERE. It's a common mistake that lots of people continue to make although it's totally ass-backwards. I don't know why people believe this though...
But I'm agnostic (baptized Catholic), and I don't know why I'm bothered by the Pope's death. I really was saddened when I heard the news. We all knew it was going to happen, but still...
He may have said some things that many people don't agree with, but he truly was a forward-thinking Pope. The fact he even admits that the Church committed sins was a great thing. I hope his successor continues to move the Church in this direction.