Around US, optimism and reservations
US Catholics reacted yesterday to the papal election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany with Pope John Paul II very much in mind.
Catholics who embraced the late pope's conservative leadership expressed hope that Ratzinger will continue that traditional stewardship. Those seeking an advocate for a more liberal interpretation of Roman Catholic Church teachings said they are disappointed because they expect no change in the church's opposition on such issues as abortion, women priests, divorce, and stem cell research.
For Catholics who praised Pope John Paul II's strict enforcement of church doctrine, the election of his longtime aide was welcomed. ''I'm pleased that they have elected someone who is clearly following in the direction that John Paul has guided the church over the last 26 years," said Auxiliary Bishop Robert Hermann of St. Louis, who met Ratzinger last year in Rome. ''The fact that the conclave was very short indicates to me that the issues are very, very clear."
Chief among those issues, Hermann said, is the ''moral clarity" that Pope John Paul II preached in his orthodox interpretation of church principles.
Of Ratzinger, Hermann said: ''He is incredibly kind, very transparent, and answers questions very candidly. He doesn't have the same charismatic approach that John Paul II had, but his challenge will be to be himself. If he is himself, the people will love him."
But for many Catholics of Hispanic descent, the election of another European signaled to them that the church remains unwilling to entrust its leadership to a cardinal from Latin America, home to almost half of the church's 1.1 billion members.
''The church's growth is happening in the Third World, where many of the problems -- civil unrest, poverty -- are being played out," said Jesus Garcia, executive director of the Little Village Community Development Corporation in Chicago. ''I think having a pope that comes from one of those countries would have added a spiritual essence to who heads up the Catholic Church."
During a news conference in Washington, President Bush called Ratzinger, who will take the name Pope Benedict XVI, a ''man of great wisdom and knowledge."
''We join with our fellow citizens and millions around the world who pray for continued strength and wisdom as His Holiness leads the Catholic Church," Bush said.
In New York, Catholics at St. Patrick's Cathedral expressed mixed feelings. George Jackson, 45, of Brooklyn, a manager at Saks Fifth Avenue, said the new pope may be too conservative for today's world. ''There are too many restrictions, especially for birth control," Jackson said. ''I would like to see women priests, and I'd like to see gay and lesbians to be able to choose their own destiny."
But Marijana Kustera, 61, a native of Croatia, said she was rejoiced to have a pope from Germany. ''My heart nearly stopped. I feel so good," she said. ''Benedict XVI, isn't that a lovely name?"
The election of a German pope disappointed many Hispanics, including some in Chicago's Little Village, a 2-square-mile neighborhood thought to contain the largest concentration of Mexican immigrants in the Midwest. ''We had cardinals throughout Latin America, including Mexico, that could have sent a significant spirit to the world where the Catholic Church is growing so rapidly," Garcia said.
Douglas Bergmann, 24, a Guatemalan native who lives in Chicago's ethnically diverse Uptown neighborhood, also expressed disappointment. ''I'm not sure I feel looked over, but it makes you think: 'Why don't they give a Latin cardinal a chance? Why not us?' " he said. ''We're so Catholic in the Latin world, it makes sense."
Kathleen Hohl, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, said Ratzinger's papacy will be a source of pride for German- Americans, many of whom live in southeastern Wisconsin.
''I think it's also an opportunity to bring the worldwide Catholic community together," she said.
MacQuarrie reported from Boston; Ferkenhoff from Chicago. Globe staff writer Tatsha Robertson contributed to this report from New York. Material from Reuters and the Associated Press also was used.
