Cardinal John Ratzinger of Germany was elected pope

Catholic Church has a new leader

Cardinal John Ratzinger of Germany was elected pope by the conclave of cardinals

Posted: 04/19/2005 04:32 pm

Last Updated: 04/19/2005 05:51 pm


The Catholic Church has a new leader.

Cardinal John
Ratzinger of Germany was elected pope by the conclave of cardinals.


The new pontiff, who just turned 78 on Saturday, will be known as Pope
Benedict, the 16th.



Just after 11:00 Tuesday morning, the white
smoke went up from the Sistine Chapel chimney after just a few votes.


The bells tolled, and thousands converged upon
St. Peter’s Square, with emotions boiling over.

After the call
went out, Pope Benedict, the 16th walked onto the balcony to the cheers of the
faithful.

But, some Catholics are concerned.

As the bells rang, thousands converged upon St. Peter's Square in anticipation to hear the announcement of the new pope

The new pope is a staunch conservative and as a teen, he briefly marched as a
soldier in the Nazi Army, which is a post he deserted.

"The
hallmarks of the present pope, of the previous popes, pontificate were more
collegiality and dialogue, and that doesn't seem to be the reputation of
cardinal Ratzinger's style," said Catholic Theology Teacher Chris Longhurst.


Some believe the new pope is trying to soften his image by the
choice of his papal name.

The last pope who called himself
Benedict in the early 1900's was a moderate and unifier.


Pope
Benedict's history
Pope Benedict the 16th becomes the 265th pontiff of the
Catholic Church.

The 78-year old pontiff is originally from
Bavaria, Germany.

He was one of the closest aides of the late
Pope John Paul II and long considered a leading contender to succeed him.

Since 1981, he's been responsible for maintaining the Catholic Church's
hard line on issues such as birth control, abortion and euthanasia.

Pope Benedict is the first German pontiff since the eleventh century.

He’ll officially be installed as pope during a special mass on
Sunday.


Local
Reaction
All around the world the catholic community is cheering on
the newly elected pope.

The announcement came while the
Notre Dame Basilica had their daily 11:30 mass Tuesday morning.

The announcement of a new pope came while many came to attend the 11:30 mass

The bells rang on campus, which marked the beginning of the new leadership.


“I’m very surprised and at the same time very elated,” said Notre Dame
student, Ben Currie.

As news spread quickly that a new pope
had been picked, many were unaware.

“One of my friends came up to me and
said, ‘did you hear the news’ and I was like, no,” said Clare Hadley,
another Notre Dame student.

By the time the daily 11:30 mass
started, a name was not known but people waited anxiously, until finally, it was
announced in church, and all over the world.

For students,
this will be the 2nd pope they have ever known.

“The church is so
blessed,” said Carol Schumaker, who attended the afternoon mass. “Ratzinger is
going to lead the church in the right direction.”

And,
many Catholics here say they are hopeful John Paul’s legacy will continue.

“I’m sure Benedict will follow in his footsteps in many ways,” said
Sister Mary Pius at Notre Dame. “We should be humble enough to accept that the
Holy Spirit is with the church and will guide the church.”

Bishop D’Arcy of the Fort Wayne Diocese said he believes
the new pope will be “a great teacher”.

The
President Emeritus of Notre Dame, Father Theodore Hesburgh
says the conclave “picked a great
theologian”.

And, as you
can imagine, many prayers are being said for the new pope around the world and
here in Michiana.

click comments to see my updates if any