A tough act to follow: New pope aspires to soften his image

Pope Benedict XVI is, depending on whom you talk to, the "Panzerkardinal," "God's Rottweiler" or an unassuming and misunderstood man of deep, quiet faith.

Before his election as pope Tuesday, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was known as a stern disciplinarian who toiled in a thankless job of keeping the theological troops in line.

Ratzinger made clear in recent speeches that he would brook no dissent and would block debate on issues such as women priests, priestly celibacy, abortion and homosexuality.

After John Paul II's energetic and charismatic papacy, Ratzinger faces a particular challenge of winning over the hearts of the faithful. Those who know him say the charm offensive will start by debunking the public persona that doesn't fit the man behind it.

Negative media

Much global newspaper coverage has been negative. "He is dry and hard, as the infinite number of Catholic clergymen and theologians persecuted mercilessly by the German cardinal know well," said the Mexican leftist daily La Jornada.

Newspapers in Turkey expressed concern that the new pope's past opposition to Ankara joining the European Union because it is a Muslim nation could raise fresh obstacles to membership.

The election of one of John Paul's closest aides was greeted by a shower of congratulations from world leaders and delight from conservatives, but with deep disappointment among those who hoped for reform in the Catholic Church.

South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu called Benedict a "rigid conservative" out of step with the times.

"We would have hoped for someone more open to the more recent developments in the world, the whole question of the ministry of women and a more reasonable position with regards to condoms and HIV/AIDS," Tutu said.

There was also negative reaction from Protestants still smarting from a document written by Ratzinger in 2000 that dismissed their denominations as "not proper churches."

But Israelis and Jewish groups praised Benedict, saying he had atoned for his wartime membership — that he says was enforced — in Nazi Germany's Hitler Youth by playing a key role in John Paul's efforts toward Jewish-Catholic reconciliation.

A demanding duty

In his post at the Vatican, Ratzinger's job was to monitor for any deviation from the official line, a job that doesn't usually come across as warm and fuzzy, say friends and associates.

"Joseph Ratzinger had a thankless job of being the chief of the doctrinal patrol of the church, and needless to say that's a position in which you do not always make friends," said the Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, editor of the conservative journal First Things and a friend of Ratzinger's for 20 years.

His job crafted and cemented two dueling images of Ratzinger.

For conservatives, he was the great bulwark of orthodoxy, defending the church from wishy-washy moral relativism. But for liberals, Ratzinger was more akin to "Darth Vader," said John Allen, the Vatican correspondent for National Catholic Reporter, who wrote a book about Ratzinger.

His rank as dean of the College of Cardinals led many to think he was angling for the papal throne himself, or at least manipulating the process to install a hand-picked protégé. Allen said neither image is accurate.

"He is one of the most humble, gracious and uncareerist men you will ever meet," Allen said.

"The image of him as Panzerkardinal, I think, is completely ludicrous," said the Rev. Augustine Di Noia, an American priest who served as Ratzinger's undersecretary at the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Di Noia, speaking to reporters in Rome before the start of the conclave that elected Ratzinger as pope, described him as "decisive," "fearless" and a "saintly and spiritual man" with immense convictions.

But it doesn't stop there, Di Noia said. "He's kind of a simple person. He chuckles (and has) a certain childlike quality about him."

Modesty stressed

Based on interviews with people who know him, the new pope is a soft-spoken, unassuming, gracious and self-effacing college professor. Indeed, in his first remarks as pope, Benedict called himself a "simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord," a man of "insufficient means" who threw himself on the mercy of God.

He prefers a drab black cassock and black beret, enjoys eating hearty Bavarian cuisine at a restaurant near the Vatican and finds relaxation in classical music.

He was often seen briskly walking across St. Peter's Square on the way to his home outside the Vatican walls, carrying a black leather briefcase and wearing a black felt beret. Observers say he always had time to greet people or stop for a chat.

"He is a warm and friendly person," said Monsignor Sigwart Neuhaus, who works in the Vatican's Congregation for the Saints. "His aloofness is a myth."

"He's a reserved person," Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn of Austria told Rai television. "He keeps things in, but he has a great heart."

Also multilingual

Along with Italian and German, the new pope speaks French, English, Spanish and Latin, which endeared him to his linguist predecessor, a great believer in the importance of Latin in the church.

But despite the fact that he speaks several languages, and is sure to travel — he already has confirmed that he will go to Cologne for World Youth Day in August — Benedict is nothing like the crowd-pleasing John Paul.

"You don't have to have the same face to express continuity," said Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne and one of the cardinals who elected Benedict. "Everybody is different, and each is right for his time."

The church's 265th pontiff, Benedict is the oldest man elected pope for 275 years and the first German for a thousand.

Compiled from the Religion News Service, The Associated Press, Los Angeles Times and Reuters.