One day before he was elected Pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was clear in his thoughts as to how he wanted the Church: one that rigidly upheld the principles he himself has sustained, where there were absolute truths on issues such as homosexuality, abortion and celibacy.
Following his election on Tuesday evening, on the second day of the conclave, Pope Benedict XVI seems determined to build upon the uncompromising hard line of doctrine that he charted under his predecessor.
His election was a delight for conservatives who want Pope John Paul II’s policies strengthened. On the other hand, it was a disappointment for the more liberal Catholics, who wished that, after 27 years, a more progressive Pope might be appointed to guide the Roman Catholic Church in these early years of the Third Millennium.
As Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1981 and a close adviser to Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Ratzinger had great power in shaping Church policy and, as such, did not depart an inch from the traditional Church teachings. He will not do so now that he has been elected Pope.
The Vatican was inflexible in its resistance to ordaining women priests, was adamantly against homosexuality and maintained its stand on the celibacy of priests. Cardinal Ratzinger opposed allowing remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion and felt it was appropriate to also deny it to those who support abortion and euthanasia.
Those guiding principles will continue under Benedict XVI, who, as if pre-empting his election, made it clear while celebrating the pre-conclave Mass last Monday, that the next Pope should not succumb to the “winds of doctrine” that are tempting the faithful to move away from the core beliefs of the Church.
It is evident, at least from the doctrinal point of view, that the Church Pope Benedict XVI will lead will not divert from its current teachings.
Yet, what is expected is that his style will be different from that of Pope John Paul II.
Pope Benedict XVI has been elected to the highest rank of the Catholic Church – in one of the fastest conclaves ever – at the venerable age of 78. He is 20 years older than when Karol Wojtyla was elected in 1978.
His health is “not that good”, according to Vatican experts, and it is unlikely that he will be travelling as much as his predecessor. It is expected that his pontificate will be a short and transitional one.
Another stark difference between him and Pope John Paul II is that while the Polish Pontiff’s pastoral qualities and charisma enabled him to earn the love of millions worldwide, Joseph Ratzinger is a bookish theologian, an extremely intelligent man but whose communication skills are still to be tested.
This was confirmed by his brother Georg who said that Pope Benedict XVI does not have the qualities to deal with people in such a direct way as Pope John Paul II did.
One also has to see the ‘political’ side of the new Pontiff. For one thing, he has already opposed Turkey’s bid to join the European Union. When still a cardinal, he had irritated other Christians when he said he did not want Protestant churches to be described as “sister churches”.
The decree he issued in 2000, in which he said that the role of the Catholic Church in human salvation is exclusive, had also irked members of other religions.
Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy has just begun but his line of leadership is already clear. It is difficult to imagine any changes in the Church as it is today.