VATICAN CITY, 20 April 2005 — Cardinals yesterday elected conservative German prelate Joseph Ratzinger as the new leader of the world’s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics, in a controversial choice to succeed Pope John Paul II. Ratzinger, 78, the Church’s 265th pontiff, will take the name of Benedict XVI. The speed of the election — on only the second day of a secret cardinals conclave — and its result were both a surprise.
Many Vatican experts had said Ratzinger, John Paul’s doctrinal watchdog for 23 years, was too divisive and too old to become pope. They had predicted he would have to cede to a more conciliatory compromise figure during the conclave.
His election indicated both that the cardinals wanted to maintain John Paul’s strict Church orthodoxy and also to have a short, transitional papacy after the Polish pope’s 26-year reign - the third longest in Church history.
“I was surprised for a couple of reasons. One is his age... The second is that I thought he might have been too much of a polarizing person. But that may not be the perception that was shared by the cardinals,” said Lawrence Cunningham, theology professor at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. The new pope appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica soon after his election, smiling broadly and greeting cheering crowds in the square. “I entrust myself to your prayers,” he said.
Clad in white papal vestments and a short red cape, he delivered his first blessing to the city of Rome and the world. Ratzinger, dean of the cardinals, had dominated the Vatican since the death of Pope John Paul on April 2. He presided over the funeral Mass and daily meetings of cardinals since then.
He used a homily at a Mass before the conclave to issue a stern warning that godless modern trends must be rejected. The address was widely seen as promoting his candidacy.
