When Father Marcos Gonzalez of St. Andrew's Church in Pasadena heard that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had been elected the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, he let out a whoop of joy. The new Pope Benedict XVI, he thought, would be sure to proclaim and defend traditional teachings.
When Sister Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of a Maryland-based Catholic ministry to promote the rights of gay men and lesbians, heard the news, her heart fell. Under Ratzinger, who hails from Germany, the church's doctrinal watchdog body had ordered her to permanently halt all work with homosexuals, and she feared that his ascension signaled what she views as continued marginalization of gays and women.
Reflecting the church's deep divisions, American Catholics greeted the election of the new pope Tuesday with delight, dismay -- and hopes that showed their own ideological leanings.
"Whether deserved or not, his reputation is that of a polarizing figure," Father Richard McBrien, chairman of the University of Notre Dame's theology department, said of the new pope. Now, the priest said, "he must be a unifier and healer ... not the source of more divisions."
The mixed reviews were apparent at places such as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. There, church bells pealed exuberantly as 400 people gathered for noon Mass and workers decorated the cavernous entrance to the sanctuary with bunting in papal gold and white. On hearing the news, staff members broke into smiles and hugged.
"I'm so happy," said Atwater Village resident Remy Buado. "I cried. I jumped. I'm hoping he is somebody for the good of the people."
But other Mass-goers were more skeptical.
Kevin Coleman, 67, a retired executive recruiter from South Pasadena, had hoped for a sign of change -- more forgiveness on the issue of divorce, for instance.
"I would have liked somebody younger and more in touch with the full world," he said.
Msgr. Royale Vadakin, who celebrated the Mass, advised worshipers to reserve judgment, saying it might take a year for the papacy's direction to become clear. He also reminded people that the grandfatherly Pope John XXIII had initially appeared as a caretaker but ended up leading the historic reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
Several Catholics around the country expressed hope that Pope Benedict might turn out to be more conciliatory than Cardinal Ratzinger.
