Pope chosen, students respond

Bells rang out at St. Dominic Chapel and at churches across the world Tuesday after the announcement that a successor to the late Pope John Paul II had been chosen. Students had mixed feelings about the announcement that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany is now the new pope, Benedict XVI.

For many students, the fact that Benedict was chosen was not a surprise. "I wish I put money on it; he was my first choice," said Kathryn Cooper '07. Jaime Gainor '08 was expecting Benedict to be chosen. She went on the Spring Break trip to Italy with PC's Honors Program and had the opportunity to meet with an advisor from the Vatican. "[The advisor] just said that [Ratzinger] was one of the cardinals closest to the Pope . . . and he would be one of the top contenders," she said.

"I was disappointed that he wasn't Polish, because I'm Polish. It would have been nice to have another Polish pope," said Marcin Kloc '08.

Lauren Ross '08 was not expecting a decision so soon. "I think it happened a little quickly," she said. "The mourning period should have been a little longer." A lot of students have heard that because Benedict is nearly 80 years old, he was intended as an "interim" pope. "If that's what they have to do to find [a pope] for a long term, then that's what they have to do," said Jodi Forcier '07. "He's probably not going to be around for much longer."

Students had differing opinions about the new pope's philosophy, which is conservative. "I was hoping for a little more liberal [pope]," said Colin Boyle '07. Erik Andersen '06 agreed. "I would absolutely love a radical pope," he said. However, he admitted that he admires Benedict in some respects. "He seems dedicated to intellectual honesty," Anderson said.

"He's a profound theologian and thinker," said Elise Italiano '06.

Many students speculated about how Ratzinger's papacy will compare to that of John Paul II's. "I feel he'll carry on the mission of John Paul II," said Italiano. Katie Collins '07 agreed, saying, "I think [the decision] was definitely guided by the Holy Spirit and I don't think he'll deviate that much [from John Paul II's papacy]."

"John Paul basically picked all the cardinals in the conclave and I'm assuming that he would pick people in the conclave that had the same views as him," said A.J. Romano '06.

Adebola Adeleke '08, also said he predicts that Benedict's papacy will be similar to that of John Paul II. He said he will probably have a conservative "stance on birth control and the use of condoms; he probably won't support that." Adeleke said he is personally happy about his strong stance on some issues. "I agree with that; it's Church doctrine," he said.

"I think John Paul II was a little more liberal in his ideology," said Danielle Pukala '07. "I know John Paul made great strides in making amends with the Jewish community." She said she hopes the new pope will continue a policy of openness.

Other students echoed this sentiment. "I think JP2 was pretty open about a lot of things," said Emily Cohen '07, adding that she hopes the new pope will be "tolerant and open-minded."

Students hope that the new pope will address some of the controversial issues that surround the Church. "I think that the issue of gay marriage needs to be addressed," said Romano, hoping that the two sides of this issue could "try to find a happy medium."

Pat Molloy '07 said that he hopes the new pope will focus more on the United States. "I wish he'd take a little more interest in the American Church," he said, adding that "if Benedict worked with America, he could accomplish a lot of things."

Erin Sladen '07 said she hopes there will be more discussion concerning "priests being able to get married." Gainor said she wants the Church to reexamine its position on life issues.

"They don't necessarily look at the quality of life, they just look at keeping people alive," she said, citing both the Terry Schiavo case and the issue of birth control in areas where AIDS is rampant.

Other students have questions they want answered. Michael Gallagher '08 said he wonders about Benedict's time in the German army. "It's kind of odd," he said, though he admitted that "he probably didn't have much of a choice."

Molloy had a different take on the issue. "People are trying to bash him saying he's in the Hitler youth, but I'm not sure how much water that holds," he said. "Besides, that was in World War II when everyone had to be in it."

Joe Donegan '05 said he is trying to see both sides of the coin with respect to the new pope's policies. "The human in me fears that his ultra-conservative tendencies will bring the Church a step backward, but I recognize that the Holy Spirit sometimes does the greatest things with the most unlikely characters," he said.

Donegan gave the example of Pope John XXIII, who was elected as an interim pope but ended up convening the Second Vatican Council, as someone who went beyond what people expected of him. Donegan also cited Oscar Romero, an Archbishop of El Salvador. Romero was expected to be a puppet, but "the Holy Spirit gave him the grace to be an outspoken advocate of the poor against the political powers of the time."

Will the selection of a new pope have an influence on student life? For some, it is simply an issue of comfort. "I'm glad to know there's a new pope," said Ken Hanchett '08. "It's settling."

Right now, some people know very little about the new pope. "I think everybody knew there was a new pope but no one really knew about the process of electing the pope," said Maureen Lothrop '05. "You could pick up a newspaper but I think a lot of times students don't."

Emily Kudla '06, on the other hand, has heard a lot about it. "I live with a bunch of devout Catholics, so everybody I know knows all about the pope," she said.