I had been led to believe that Cardinal Ratzinger was rather liberal in Church matters. I have been pleasantly surprised.
I don't know how you were led to believe this. Personally I was hoping for a tough no nonsense Pope. So Ratzinger was my first choice. When I heard of his elevation I was thrilled. He has been called 'God's Rotweiller', the 'Grand Inquisitor of Rome' and other endearing titles.
Granted, that since many people don't follow Vatican affairs that closely they wouldn't know much about him. Below is a paste from a Catholic WEB site.
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From 1981 - 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was appointed head of the Catholic Church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, whose mission is to "to promote and safeguard the doctrine on the faith and morals throughout the Catholic world" (John Paul II).