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Signs from the Vatican: Margaret Coffey finds reasons for optimism in the election of Pope Benedict XVI.

Article Excerpt
The election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger startled many Catholics, perhaps especially those who most hoped for this result and those who most feared it. They understood that he was seen as a divisive figure, a boundary rider, when, by definition, the papacy is an expression of unity. There was surprise, too, at the speed with which the conclave was resolved: the pundits did not think it would be so easy for the cardinals to arrive at a decision, given that they came from diverse pastoral experiences and in many cases had had little opportunity to encounter each other.

There were other agendas spoken about: the need to acknowledge the Church's non-European character, to redress the centralising momentum of John Paul II's tenure, to emphasise the pastoral as well as the teaching dimension of the Church. At face value, the election of Joseph Ratzinger rather than, say, a Latin American or someone from outside the Vatican structure, implied that none of these agendas carried decisive weight among the cardinals. This is hard to believe, but, despite the unexpectedness of the result, by the time of the new Pope's inaugural mass, Catholics were glad to have a Pope and to attend again to matters closer to home.

The glee, dismay and celebratory acceptance have given way to waiting and reading the signs. The elated have their man, of course, though it is an interesting comment on Catholic culture that Ratzinger's critics are prepared to be hopeful about Benedict XVI: among them, Hans...