Pope Benedict XVI was installed as the new head of the Roman Catholic Church during a ceremony held at St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican yesterday.

Yesterday’s event ushered in a new era for the Church, which was dominated by the presence of Pope John Paul II for the past 27 years.

Karol Wojtyla led the Church into the 21st century with his charm and determination and will be remembered for his role in the political developments that took place in the last 20 years of European and world history. But his

conservative approach on social issues was not much welcomed by the liberals.

Joseph Ratzinger inherits a Church that many think is still moulded in the past, and it is highly unlikely that this pattern will change under his papacy. It has been written that his election was a deliberate choice by the cardinals for a transitional Pope as the Church prepares itself for changes in the future.

There seems to be little difference in the lines of thought of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Cardinal Ratzinger’s closeness to the previous Pope is a clear indication that the two shared common views.

What is different between them is their style. While Pope John Paul II and his warm smile touched the hearts of all those who came in contact with him and those who saw and listened to him on television, Pope Benedict XVI’s communication skills are not that apparent. At least for now.

Last Saturday, he met journalists for the first time and made it immediately clear that he is not a carbon-copy of his

predecessor.

The new Pope, reading prepared remarks in four languages, thanked journalists for their coverage during the “historically important” events of the past weeks, urging them to remember their ethical responsibilities and saying he hoped to continue his predecessor’s tradition of openness with the media.

Yet the session lasted only 15 minutes and Pope Benedict XVI did not take any questions or meet with individual reporters. Pope John Paul II had fielded questions for 40 minutes after reading a prepared speech.

Journalists who covered Pope John Paul II’s pontificate were surprised and remarked that, judging by this first meeting with him, it seems that the new Pope, while maintaining the same line of thought of the Polish Pontiff, seems to be taking a different approach towards the media.

“I hope to follow this dialogue with you, and I share, as Pope John Paul II observed concerning the faith, the development of social communications,” the pontiff told more than 1,000 members of the media last Saturday. But the journalists present could not help but notice the difference.

Pope Benedict XVI said he could not ignore the need for “clear references of the ethical responsibilities” of the media, emphasising the need for a “sincere search for the truth and the safeguarding of the centrality and the dignity of the person”.

This led to the second factor which stood out in his meeting with the journalists on Saturday. Pope Benedict XVI spoke in four languages – Italian, English, French and his native German – but failed to do so in Spanish, a language spoken by millions of Catholics, not only in Spain but also in Latin America.

Many have interpreted this as a sign that the Pontiff is annoyed by what took place in Spain in the same week that he was elected Pope – that is, the approval by the lower house of the Spanish Parliament of the Socialist government’s gay marriage bill.

The bill, which is likely to be approved by the Senate where the Socialists have ample support, also paves the way for gay couples to adopt children.

Now that Pope Benedict XVI has officially taken over the reins of the Church, the world awaits to see how he will tackle his massive mission.