August 4, 2005. Copyright 2005, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Pope Benedict XVI prepares to make his first foreign trip
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, August 4, Graphic News:  If the watching world heeds the advice of his spokesman, Pope Benedict XVI should not be judged on his first 100 days in office -- a mark reached in late July. Instead the German pontiff should be given more time to make his mark at the Vatican and emerge from the shadow of his predecessor. After all, his spokesman pointed out, popes are elected for several years at a time.

True, but it would be na•ve to think that Pope BenedictÕs first few months in office -- he was elected on April 19 in the swiftest conclave of modern times -- will not be scrutinised for clues as to the rest of his pontificate, and the scrutiny is likely to peak as he makes his first foreign trip since his election, a visit to his native Germany to mark World Youth Day on August 18. So, has Joseph Ratzinger lived up to his reputation as a ÒrotweilerÓ -- or have we seen a gentler side?

It was always clear that Pope Benedict was going to be a conservative: presiding
over the funeral rites of Pope John Paul II, he said he would not depart from the Polish pontiffÕs hardline position on key social issues. Until that point, his entire career had been defined not just by the steady progress of a brilliant intellect and utter religious devotion, but also by an equally steady retreat into conservatism.

Born in Marktl am Inn in Upper Bavaria in 1927, Joseph Ratzinger joined a seminary at the age of 11. After an enforced period in the Wehrmacht, he distinguished himself at top theological faculties and became an adviser to the second Vatican Council. By the time he was named Archbishop of Munich in 1977, he had witnessed the 1968 student riots that led to his transformation from a progressive to a conservative. As Pope John PaulÕs orthodoxy watchdog in 1981, he cracked down on liberation theology.

As Pope, he has highlighted the Church teachings on abortion and euthanasia, and confirmed his aversion to homosexuality and opposition to remarried divorced Catholics being allowed to receive Holy Communion. No surprise there, then.

But there are undoubted differences of style: Pope Benedict has plunged into the crowds but many say appears less at ease than his predecessor. Although he chose to spend his July holiday at a chalet in the Italian Alps that was a favourite of John Paul, the new pope mostly read and played piano while John Paul was an avid hiker. Pope Benedict XVI has waited more than three months to make his first major trip abroad.

On his performance so far, papal watchers are agreed that he has made progress in improving relations with China. Last month the Vatican tacitly approved the appointment of a Shanghai auxiliary bishop -- Catholic churches in China are run by a group that has no links with the Vatican. The pontiff has also reached out to Israel.

Nevetheless, there are signs that the defining factor of his papacy may be his wish to build bridges with the Orthodox Church. Early on, Pope Benedict said he would try to heal the 1,000-year rift with the Church, and he has been invited to its headquarters in Turkey. In time, he is expected to visit Eastern Europe and the Russian Federation too.

Meanwhile, however, his in-tray is piled high with more urgent matters: he has to prepare his first encyclical, and to take part in a synod of bishops in October. In Germany he will meet with Muslim leaders in a continuation of Pope John Paul IIÕs efforts to form ties with other faiths. And, like other modern religious leaders, he cannot afford to wait to search for ways to help his church to tackle the spread of secularism and the threat of terrorism.
/ENDS