European press hails new pope
ROME, Italy -- Newspapers around Europe have hailed the swift election of Joseph Ratzinger as pope -- a step they said dismayed Roman Catholic progressives, but pleased defenders of church orthodoxy.
Italian newspapers said the swift decision was a sign of the Roman Catholic Church's determination to hold fast to its traditional values and carry on the work of John Paul II.
The cardinals' choice came as a surprise to few in the Italian press.
"An announced pope, Joseph Ratzinger was the only cardinal ... who entered the conclave with already a bundle of votes under his name," the leftwing La Repubblica wrote.
"We can no longer say: 'He who enters the conclave a pope comes out a cardinal,'" wrote Il Messaggero, referring to a saying often used to explain why early front-runners have generally failed to be elected by their fellow cardinals.
Many newspapers saw a pope of continuity in Benedict XVI, printing pictures of the then-cardinal Ratzinger with the late pope John Paul II, who he faithfully assisted in governing the church for decades, particularly in his last years marked by ill health.
"The cardinals chose continuity" with "serene certainty," wrote Orazio Petrosillo, theologian and Vatican expert, in Il Messaggero.
The brevity of the conclave, the second shortest in modern history, gave a "strong sign of unity," said Petrosillo. "Today's men -- and cardinals are no different -- need hope but also a solid guide."
Some, though, already saw signs of change in the short speech Benedict XVI gave at the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica shortly after the announcement of his election.
"He showed himself to the faithful ... but didn't give himself to the crowd," wrote commentator Ezio Mauro in La Repubblica, comparing the new pope to his media and crowd-savvy predecessor.
By choosing the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of faith, the 115 cardinals secluded in the conclave also chose to elect "A warrior to challenge modernity," headlined La Repubblica.
Giancarlo Zizola in Il Sole 24 Ore wrote of a choice of "continuity and intransigence."
"The question is to what degree the known intellectual intransigence of the new pope will be able to open up to the pastoral flexibility required to face" the church's need to adapt to today's world, wrote Zizola.
"He will be a pope both loved and feared, an intellectual with the bearing of a shepherd," said Corriere della Sera.
But there will be surprises, La Stampa promised.
The first surprise will be "to discover, behind the apparent aloofness of the scholar and the fame of the harsh guardian of faith, a real father Benedict XVI, a demanding but affectionate pontiff."
The paper added that Benedict XVI -- in the past nicknamed "God's Rottweiler" -- had been "unjustly described by some as a sort of bogeyman, glacial and fussy."
But not everyone was convinced that Benedict XVI would shake off his image of doctrinal watchdog.
Among them was leftwing Il Manifesto, which headlined its front-page story on the papal election: "The German Shepherd."
Note of caution in German press
The new pope was hailed in the press in Germany, with commentaries tinged both with some patriotic pride as well as caution about his conservative views.
The tabloid Bild, known for its sensationalism, devoted the entire front page with a picture of the new Pope Benedikt XVI and the massive headline: "We are the Pope!"
"Our Joseph Ratzinger is Benedikt XVI ... it is the sensation of a millenium," the Bild's front page also proclaimed, while noting that the 78-year-old is the first German to head the Holy See in 482 years.
While the tabloid was predictably sensationalist in its edition, even the conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung covered the top half it its front page with a story and -- an extremely rare event for the newspaper -- with a photograph of Ratzinger.
The paper's front-page commentary said the fact that "Ratzinger is from Germany, the country which in the history of the Church remains the one of the Reformation, did not go against him, but rather for him. Ratzinger is the counter-Reformation in person -- not with fire and sword, but with the power of the spirit."
The Die Welt newspaper top-page headline was "A German becomes Pope", with a front-page commentary starting by saying that "Christians in Germany could not have received a higher honour (and) Europe could not have been granted greater weight".
But the commentary also said "many in Europe won't be pleased by the election, for isn't Ratzinger a conservative?" Die Welt said this was actually a cliche and that by choosing him, the church has shown "that it is firmly settled in its foundations and is able to react to dramatic changes. Benedikt XVI will see to it that this remains so."
British press highlights "challenges" ahead
Britain's Daily Telegraph ran the headline: "'God's Rottweiler' is the new pope."
The Independent newspaper said: "The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church have elected as pope perhaps the most controversial, divisive and reactionary of all the plausible candidates."
The Times said: "The new pope, a far cry from the progressive reformer that western liberals had hoped for, was elected after one of the shortest conclaves in history."
Its editorial says: "The rapid expansion of the church in Asia, Africa and Latin America is, of course, enormously welcome to the Vatican, but it creates new challenges. Rome needs to be in a position to communicate with its numerous outposts and must strive to avoid being seen as a remote and authoritarian place, imposing its will from the isolated center."
The Sun newspaper carried the story under the banner frontpage headline: "Papa Ratzi."
