Posted on 04/19/2005 4:30:05 PM PDT by metalmanx2j
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - From the shanty-covered hillsides of Tegucigalpa to the cosmopolitan streets of Buenos Aires and dusty villages in Africa, hopes had been high that the new pope would be someone intimately tied to the developing world and its challenges.
Disappointment was evident when a German, Joseph Ratzinger — now Pope Benedict XVI — was chosen instead.
"I would have liked someone different: younger, with new ideas and perhaps with darker skin like us," said Alfonso Mercado, an ice cream seller in Pereira, Colombia. Many in the city in Colombia's coffee-growing region hoped Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, who preached in Pereira for 22 years, would be chosen.
Across the developing world, there was barely disguised disappointment — particularly among many Latin Americans, who make up roughly half the world's Catholics — that one of their own was not elected to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
"It should have been a Latino," said Gloria Vazquez, a 50-year-old housewife in Tegucigalpa. Yet she answered the call of the bells to a Mass in honor of the new pope at the Honduran capital's little cathedral.
"What are we going to do?" she asked. "We're Catholics."
The chimes sent waves of pigeons wheeling above the church, where dozens of the faithful had been listening to a radio broadcast of the papal announcement that echoed off the stained, peeling walls — a testimony to the poverty of this part of the Catholic world.
Julio Lancellotti, a priest who works with homeless and abandoned children in Sao Paulo, Brazil, frowned when he heard the papal announcement.
"We accept the pope who has been chosen," he said. "I accept in silence. We priests can have no opinion."
Many believed a pope from the developing world would be more focused on its problems, including poverty and the expansion of evangelical religions.
"Ratzinger's presence is a disaster for Latin America," snapped Bernardo Barranco, a Mexican sociologist and expert on religion, during a telephone interview from Rome.
"He took it upon himself to liquidate liberation theology. He didn't understand Latin America," said Barranco, referring to the blend of the Gospel with radical politics that rose in this region.
In Africa, the Vatican's announcement dashed hopes for those who were pulling for Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria.
In Onitsha, the city in southeastern Nigeria where Arinze once was bishop, people gathered in restaurants and shops — wherever they could find a television — to watch the announcement.
"The real Catholics of the world now are in Africa and Latin America, and it would have strengthened the church to have a pope from one of those places," said Okwudili Otti, a 45-year-old businessman.
Mary Ekpe, a 30-year-old Nigerian banker, said she never really expected an African pope to be elected.
"I know Europeans and Americans are not ready for that yet," Ekpe said. "But I thought they would've elected somebody from Latin America."
But she added: "I see something positive in the fact that they chose a German instead of an Italian. It shows at least the church is not returning to the tradition of having only Italian popes."
Matthew Hassan Kukah, a prominent Nigerian priest in the capital Abuja, said the faithful must not be disappointed.
"This is not the finals of the World Cup," Kukah said. "The sentiments are understandable, but this is the Catholic Church. We give thanks to God."
Colombian Bishop Jaime Prieto acknowledged that "we all had secret hopes that the next pope would be one of us." But he said Ratzinger's choice signals continued Vatican support for efforts to bring peace to Colombia, bloodied by a guerrilla war in which dozens of priests have been killed.
Monsignor Alejandro Goic, president of the Chilean Bishops Conference, defended the new pope, saying he "has a profound knowledge of Latin America" and speaks Spanish.
Marlyn Caceres, a 26-year-old selling candles, wooden crosses and rosaries outside La Candelaria Church in Caracas, Venezuela, said she remained hopeful Ratzinger will be a good pope.
"They say the man is humble. I hope he will be like the pope who died," said Caceres. "May it be as God wishes."
I hope you are right. Islam is a problem in Africa where bands of militants go into churches and kill people where they are praying.
Arinze already speaks as many languages as Ratzinger. And, I'm not sure what "experience" Arinze needs that he doesn't have. He's been in the Curia almost as long as Ratzinger, and has been a bishop longer than Ratzinger.
Well there must be a good reason for his appointment since it was a landslide appointment.
"Except for a few summer school classes, I went to private schools for all 19 years. I think I missed some of the required indoctrination."
Consider yourself lucky.
I think the MSM was successful in making the world believe that we were going to get a new Pope of Olive skin or from South America, at least, that is the impression I got from watching the news in the last 2 weeks on the Pope.
Sounds like Liberal useful idiots.
Thank you.
Still not sure what you want except young, but the no-no is reassuring.
We have BXVI.
I think the discussion about the nationality or skin color of the pope is interesting, but it's rather sad that it's an issue at all. I would think the character and philosphies would be paramount.
Since I'm not catholic, whether they choose to have a foodfight after this election is only a matter of interest to me, since I have no stake in it. I would prefer that everyone was happy, but fights make for better entertainment, and I don't mean that in a flippant way. Sometimes they are over important matters, and sometimes they're over trivial matters, but they're always news.
I would love to see an African as the next pope. Judging from the visiting African priests that have come to my parish, the Africans are very orthodox. A "conservative" pope with black skin would really get under the skin of the "progressives." Africa is also a fertile ground for vocations to the religious life. In the future African priests may come to represent Catholicism as much as Irish priests did in the early 20th century.
The former Soviet republics in the Caucasus region and in Central Asia should be Second World. In the post-Communist era, what determines if a country is part of the Second World? Once Second World, always Second World? Or does membership in NATO and the EU allow a country to join the First World? Some of the Eastern European countries are more First World than Turkey is. And why are Israel, South Korea and Taiwan considered Third World?
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