An Agenda, Certainly, but Which?
VATICAN CITY — Benedict XVI may travel less than his globetrotting predecessor, but few expect him to act like a "caretaker" pope.
Instead, the 78-year-old pontiff is expected to pursue an activist agenda, topped by a mission to revitalize the Roman Catholic faith and identity where it is threatened by secularism, particularly in Europe.
But after persuading two-thirds of the College of Cardinals to elect him, the new pontiff must now lead a 1-billion-member flock that is deeply divided over the church's direction and his own promise to stay the course. How he will convince Catholics that he is pastor to them all is uncertain.
The mixed reaction to the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger reflects his familiar role as a lightning rod for the harshest criticism leveled at John Paul II's long reign.
It was Ratzinger whose Vatican doctrinal office silenced or reprimanded more than 100 Catholic theologians, according to some estimates. He epitomized a centralization of authority in the Vatican under John Paul at the expense of local bishops, while enforcing church doctrine against married priests, women in the priesthood, remarriage for divorced Catholics and homosexual relationships.
Many Catholics around the world welcomed Ratzinger's election as an act inspired by God. But others said they were in shock.
"Ratzinger is a polarizing figure who seems to prefer combativeness to compromise and compassion," said Mary Grant, a spokeswoman for Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.
But some prominent critics of Ratzinger said they were hoping for something different in Pope Benedict.
The new pontiff held out what some saw as an olive branch in the way he explained the inspiration for his name: Pope Benedict XV, who ran the church during World War I and after a divisive pontificate, had given himself to "peacemaking, reconciliation and harmony," he said.
That explanation, said Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Belgium, "gives me some hope" that Ratzinger will listen to demands from bishops for more "collegiality," or democracy, in church governance.
Father Hans Kung of Germany, who was stripped of his authority by Ratzinger to teach at Catholic universities for questioning church teachings, called Ratzinger's election "an enormous disappointment," but added: "The papacy is such a challenge that it can change anyone
