Church signals continuity

The Cardinals were quick to elect Joseph Ratzinger as the successor to St Peter and Supreme Pontiff in a move which was meant to symbolise unity and continuity within the Church.

Pope Benedict XVI's election was somewhat of a surprise to many observers, including myself. I never said who I thought would be elected Pope because I genuinely thought it would be an outsider or a little known figure, but privately I had almost completely ruled out Joseph Ratzinger, mainly because of his age and his conservative label. The German cardinal was, after all, responsible for enforcing the Church's rigid social doctrine under Pope John Paul II.

It is fair to say that his election has so far pleased conservatives but dismayed liberals within the Church. The German Catholic reform movement We Are the Church said the Pope's election was "a catastrophe" that would "drive more people from the Church". However, Anna Laakmann, an official of this reform movement, pointed to the new Pope's support in the 1960s for reform in the Church which promoted a more liberal theology. "Maybe he will find his way back to this view," she said.

Of course, the new Pope has to be given a chance to see exactly how he intends to take the Church into the 21st century. It would be wrong, at this stage, to dismiss Benedict XVI as a divisive figure, one who is too conservative to lead the Church or to face up to modern realities. He is no longer head of the Congregation for the Doctrine and the Faith but the leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics and he could well want to show that he is his own man.

The Church's decision to elect Cardinal Ratzinger shows a good deal of caution and a commitment to continuity on the part of the cardinals but this does not mean that the Church will not want to go for renewal. We will have to wait and see exactly how the new Pope will strive to bring about this renewal. After all, Pope John XXIII, when elected in 1958, was 77 years old, yet he brought about tremendous reforms in the Church.

One hopes that Benedict XVI will continue in the footsteps of John Paul II and carry on travelling throughout the globe to listen to the faithful and local clergymen and to get first-hand information on local issues and problems. The Church's rapid expansion in Africa, Latin America and Asia has created new challenges for the Church which cannot be swept under the carpet and hopefully the new Pope will pay as much attention to the developing world as he will to Europe.

Benedict XVI is the first German Pope in almost 1,000 years, the third oldest Pope in nearly 300 years and the second non-Italian Pope in almost 500 years. His choice of the name Benedict is significant. St Benedict is the patron saint of Europe, which suggests that Joseph Ratzinger will dedicate a lot of time and effort in trying to reverse the decline of spirituality and Christianity in Europe. This is commendable as long as it does not result in giving less importance to the Third World.

Furthermore, the last Pope with the name of Benedict was a man noted for his diplomatic talents and commitment to peace in the early 20th century. Pope Benedict XV was elected shortly after the outbreak of World War I and shortly before it ended he influenced the terms of peace. After the war he helped enlarge the Vatican's influence around the globe.

Pope Benedict XVI is an extremely intelligent man who despite his rigid conservative record over the past 25 years must know that the Church requires not only continuity but also change. As I said last week, the new Pope will have to deal with the fact that there is a gulf between the Church's social doctrine and the lives of many ordinary Catholics, especially in the developed world.

I am referring to issues such as contraception, divorce, premarital sex as well opinions on women priests and whether priests should be allowed to marry. It is also very true that this Pope's record (as a cardinal) suggests that he will not budge an inch on any of these issues but eventually the Church will have to come to terms with this reality, perhaps not during this papacy, but some day.

Certainly, the new Pontiff has a very hard act to follow. John Paul II headed the Church for 27 years, played a huge role in defeating communism, was extremely charismatic, related well to people, spoke in favour of the poor and against war and knew exactly how to play up to the media. Benedict XVI is 78, seems shy by nature, is a super-intellectual and has no Communism to defeat, unless we think of China, where the Church's influence is very limited, or Cuba, where John Paul II's visit in 1998 did not have the desired effect. However, this does not mean that he cannot leave his mark on history, nor does it mean that he will be unable to relate to people.

Besides trying to reconcile the views of the Vatican and ordinary Catholics on social issues, Pope Benedict XVI faces a number of other challenges. He must try and reverse the rise of secularism in Western Europe, he must continue to speak out in favour of the world's poor and to champion human rights everywhere and he must continue to engage in a constructive dialogue with not only other Christian Churches but with all major world religions especially Islam and Judaism.

It is true that his previous opposition to Turkey joining the European Union did not help relations with the Islamic world. Perhaps as Pope he will adopt a more cautious approach. He also has to deal with the fact that Communist China does not recognise the Vatican and Catholics loyal to the Vatican in that country have to practice their religion underground.

This Pope could well be a transitional figure, somebody who keeps the Church on a steady course during difficult times until it really makes up its mind in which direction it intends to take in the future. Or perhaps Pope Benedict XVI could surprise us all and turn out to be a great reformer. After all, only Nixon could go to China.