Mat-Su Catholics say prayers for new pope

April 22, 2005

JOEL DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - Eleven minutes before the start of Tuesday morning Mass at St. Michael's Catholic Church, in downtown Palmer, hundreds of thousands of Catholic faithful were heard cheering from television sets, radios and car stereos as Pope Benedict XVI emerged from behind a large red curtain at the Vatican as the 265th pope.

Formerly known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict's image flickered from television sets across the world, throughout the nation and around the Valley. St. Michael's priest, Father Leo Desso, however, didn't find out about the new pope until he walked through the church to begin morning Mass.

"I don't normally watch television in the morning," Desso said Tuesday. "I didn't hear about it until I got to church this morning."

Sitting in his office, moments after Mass, Desso said he was surprised by Ratzinger's selection as the new pope.

"I knew he was in the running," Desso said. "I was hoping it would be a Third World pope because there is so much of a need in Asia and the Philippines and the whole area. All we can do is pray that the spirit will guide the new Holy Father and that he will indeed follow in the footsteps of John Paul II."

Desso was particularly concerned that Ratzinger, at age 78, continue the tradition of John Paul II in reaching out to young people.

During his papacy, John Paul II established the popular World Youth Day, to connect and guide young Catholics. This year, World Youth Day is scheduled to take place in Germany, Ratzinger's home country.

"I hope he carries it on," Desso said.

Ratzinger is considered by many to be a conservative choice for pope. For nearly a quarter century he was the right-hand man for John Paul II, writing letters, books and essays upholding the core doctrine of the Catholic faith, even in areas that were unpopular. The church's stance on abortion, homosexuality and birth control is unlikely to change under Ratzinger's watch.

"He is a conservative and he is going to really heed to the doctrines," Desso said, adding that he hoped Ratzinger will continue a dialogue with Christians outside the Catholic Church.

Desso said he hopes the new pope will reach out to many others as well.

"The conservatives, the liberals and particularly our young people, what we call the X-generation, people between 20 and 40 that have not been faithful to their faith," Desso said, "hopefully he can reach those people."

Lifelong Catholics Art and Danielle LaFrance walked out the front doors of St. Michael's shortly after Mass. Tuesday may have been their first Mass since the election of Ratzinger, but brand-new popes are nothing new to the LaFrances.

"I was thinking, this is the fifth one I've lived through," Art said as he stood outside the church Tuesday. "I started with Pope Pius XII."

Art said he wasn't familiar with Ratzinger but trusts the cardinals' choice.

"I'm sure they know what they're doing," he said. "I think he will be a good pope. He won't be the same, but they're all different."

In an age of high-speed Internet and 24-hour live television feeds, Art said sitting in his Palmer living room, watching Ratzinger emerge from the Vatican on live television was different than his experience seeing John Paul II or others emerge from the Vatican as newly elected popes.

"It was a big thing when I was in Catholic school," Art said. "It wasn't live, though. Nothing was live back then. This is all live today."

With Ratzinger stepping from the Vatican window just minutes before Mass began at St. Michael's, the LaFrances were running a little late for church.

"We watched it to the end and then rushed down to Mass," Art said. "This is a historic event. You just pray for the pope and hope he does the right thing."

Art's wife, Danielle, said she was encouraged that the cardinals chose a pope in fewer than two days.

"This is a good sign that they didn't take that long to decide," she said, adding that she didn't think Ratzinger would veer much from the course set during the 26 years John Paul II served as pope.

Desso agreed.

"When Pope John Paul was in office for 26 years, he elected all those cardinals, except three," Desso said. "So he wanted to make sure they would follow along his guidelines."

Desso expressed both excitement and, like many Catholics worldwide, his prayerful concern about once again having a pope in Vatican City.

"It's great that we have a new leader now, someone that can speak as a vicar of Christ to the people of God," he said. "All we can do now is pray that the spirit will give him guidance in moving the church forward as John Paul II has done."

Contact Joel Davidson at 352-2266, or joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.