Dialogue, outreach stressed at first Mass

VATICAN CITY — In his first extensive remarks as pope, Benedict XVI sought to calm fears yesterday that his papacy would further divide the Roman Catholic Church and instead promised "open and sincere" dialogue among all Christians.

Benedict, who as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger asserted the primacy of Catholicism and branded other religions "deficient," said he hoped to promote the cause of ecumenism and reach out to other faiths.

The speech in Latin at the conclusion of a morning Mass in the Sistine Chapel the day after his election detailed the new pope's plan and goals. It was intended to cast Benedict, 78, as a pope who would follow the same path as his predecessor, the late John Paul II. It also was aimed at quieting uneasiness in some quarters over ultraconservative Ratzinger's election.

Saying he assumed his new role with trepidation, a sense of inadequacy and "human turmoil," the German-born pontiff pledged as his "primary commitment" to work "tirelessly toward the reconstitution of the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers."

"I want to forcefully affirm the strong desire to continue in the task of implementing the Second Vatican Council," he said, referring to the meeting of Catholic leaders four decades ago that was designed to set the church on the road to modernization. Vatican II, as it is called, continues to be relevant in today's "globalized society," he said.

Benedict's critics contend he has been a leader in gutting Vatican II reforms, especially in the realm of papal power-sharing with bishops and devolving authority to grass-roots levels of the church. In yesterday's sermon, Benedict was vague on what he planned to do, but asked bishops for "prayers and advice."

Vatican II also promoted contacts with other Christian religions. "I am willing to do everything in my power to promote the fundamental cause of ecumenism," Benedict said, "and am fully determined to accept every initiative that seems opportune to promote contact and understanding."

Beyond Christianity, Benedict said he would pursue "the promising dialogue that my predecessors began with various civilizations," a reference to Jews and Muslims.

Talks with non-Christian religions, Benedict said, should also continue, but with a focus on coming to terms with past conflicts before getting into theology.

"It is mutual understanding that gives rise to conditions for a better future for everyone," he said.

New details emerged, meanwhile, of the speedy election that placed Ratzinger on St. Peter's throne. Cardinals in interviews and public comments described a Ratzinger victory that was virtually decided before the conclave began on Monday.

The second most influential man at the Vatican before John Paul's death, Ratzinger was able to use the trappings of power to dominate the funeral and meetings leading up to the conclave, a secret, closed-door session inside the Sistine Chapel.

Opponents to Ratzinger's unyielding orthodoxy were never able to rally around a viable alternative candidate.

British Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the archbishop of Westminster, suggested that a number of cardinals who found themselves backing a losing candidate changed their votes for the "unity of church."

The theme of Benedict's first day as pope was clearly to sound a conciliatory note in the face of critics and a divided church.

In his speech at the Mass, Benedict announced he will travel to Germany in August for World Youth Day, an event favored by John Paul that routinely drew enormous crowds.

As a cardinal, Ratzinger vowed to defend traditional Catholicism against modern trends that he believes dilute the faith. Yesterday, Benedict exhorted his listeners to announce Christ to the world.

"The church today must revive within herself an awareness of the task to present the world again with the voice of the One who said, 'I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.' "

But he added: "With this awareness, I address myself to everyone, even to those who follow other religions or who are simply seeking an answer to the fundamental questions of life and have not yet found it. I address everyone with simplicity and affection, to assure them that the church wants to continue to build an open and sincere dialogue with them, in a search for the true good of mankind and of society."

The new pope also used his message — what one cardinal called a state of the union address — to pay homage to his predecessor, a man he referred to as "this great pope."

Pope Benedict's remarks on the Vatican Council were reported by The Washington Post.