Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the 78-year-old Bavarian former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was yesterday afternoon elected Pope, taking the name Benedict XVI, writes Paddy Agnew in Rome
Considered by many a front- runner in the papal electoral contest, the new Pope was elected on only the fourth ballot and after a remarkably short conclave that lasted less than two days.
Huge excitement and surprise greeted the appearance of white smoke from the Sistine Chapel roof at shortly before six o'clock yesterday evening. A majority of commentators had predicted a much longer, less decisive conclave.
Initially, onlookers and journalists alike were baffled by the smoke, which was rather more grey than white. Eventually, at just after six, the huge Sant' Andrea bell rang out loud and clear, confirming without doubt that the smoke was white and that a new Pope had been elected.
When he stepped out on to the balcony at the central window of the Basilica of St Peter's, Pope Benedict XVI was greeted by a cheering, flag-waving crowd of nearly 100,000 people. Smiling broadly, he delivered a brief, seemingly heartfelt address, in Italian.
"After the great John Paul II, the cardinals elected me, a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord. I am consoled by the fact that the Lord can work and act even through insufficient instruments, and I especially entrust myself to your prayers.
"In the joy of the risen Lord, and trusting in his permanent help, we go forward. The Lord will help us, and Mary his most holy mother is on our side. Thank you," he said.
After that, the new Pope Benedict gave his first Urbi et Orbi address, a traditional papal blessing to the city of Rome and to the world. Following on his pontifical blessing, the new Pope then stood and listened to the warm applause that followed, smiling and raising his hands above his head.
A doctrinal hardliner, often referred to as the Vatican's "rottweiler" both because of his unapologetic espousal of Catholic teaching and his unrelenting disciplining of dissident theologians, Cardinal Ratzinger, until yesterday, was best known for his 2000 document, Dominus Jesus, which claims that Christ is the unique saviour and adjudges other religions to be "in a gravely deficient situation".
As Cardinal Ratzinger, the new Pope also took over the Holy See's handling of clerical sex abuse cases, spearheading the Vatican's reaction, regarded by many as tardy, to a problem that it had long considered a purely "Anglo-Saxon" obsession.
In his role as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he also regularly curbed the role of bishops' conferences and pressurised religious orders to expel doctrinally unorthodox members. Over the years, he has contributed to some of the Catholic Church's most hardline teachings on issues as diverse as homosexuality, bio-ethics, inter-religious dialogue and women priests.
The election of Benedict XVI would appear to reflect the wishes of those cardinals who believe that, in the immediate wake of the momentous pontificate of John Paul II, the church is best served by a "transitional" papacy.He is seen as a "safe pair of hands", someone who is both doctrinally sound and highly experienced.