Meet the New Pope, Same as the Old Pope?

With the puffs of white smoke (for the folks at CNN it was white) and eventual clanging of the bells of St. Peters the worlds 1.1 billion Catholics had a new leader on Tuesday.

Pope Benedict XVI the former Cardinal Ratzinger of Germany takes over control of the Roman Catholic church and many are wondering where the Church will go over the next few years. Ratzinger who was the right hand man of Pope John Paul II is not expected to deviate very much from the path laid out by his predecessor.

As a matter of fact as Cardinal, it fell to Ratzinger to enforce Vatican discipline on the many controversial issues of the day. Which in a way makes his selection an interesting study in Catholic church internal politics. Considering how his past position would have had him putting fellow Cardinals into line over the various issues, one would thought he would have built up a rather sizeable "enemies" list over the years, Cardinals who might not be willing to cast their vote for such a rigid doctrinaire leader.

But after four votes and less than two days the conclave came to an end and Benedict XVI stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peters to greet his worldwide flock.

It's expected that his papacy will be very much the same as that of John Paul II"s, strict adherence to absolutes, little room for liberalism and a certain insistence on not deviating from the current path. His is going to be a papacy of traditional beliefs.

Those in the Catholic faith looking for a sign that the Church was going to change it's direction on the many controversies of dogma are going to be a very disappointed lot. Married priests, birth Control, abortion, homosexuality and women in the priesthood will not move very far along the talking points of this new Pope. Considered by many to be a very Conservative religious leader, the proponents of a liberal direction for Catholicism may find their audience not inclined to listen at the highest levels.

It will be a fascinating study of faith to see how the larger flock react to a Pope steeped in unswerving doctrine. Of course the new Pope has yet to make much in the way of public pronouncements, so it will be a bit of time before we get a handle on what his true intentions may be. If his reputation as Cardinal NO will be replaced by a more inclusive leadership looking to include many different thoughts on the faith.

Many say that the Catholic church missed an opportunity to reach out to the new world this week, by not selecting an African or South American pontiff, however it may have been too radical a step for an organization that seems to move in glacial speeds on matters of hierarchy.

At 78 years of age this pope is considered to be a transitional pope, leading the Church from one era to the next one. But it's not expected his role will be that of a care taker, he will most likely put his stamp on his time as leader of the Roman Catholic church.

The papacy of Benedict XVI will be watched with much interest to see where we are at the time of the next transition, especially as it evolves (or doesn't) from where we begin the journey today.