British cardinal thanks God for the new Pope

BY FREDDY GRAY
CARDINAL Cormac MurphyO’Connor has welcomed and praised the election of Pope Benedict XVI.
Speaking the day after the conclave ended, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor told journalists of his admiration for the new Pontiff. “This man has certain important characteristics, which are in the general public view. [He is] very spiritual, open, courteous and thoroughly intelligent,” he said.
In London, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor told a congregation at Westminster Cathedral that the appointment of Pope Benedict had filled the spiritual gap left by the death of Pope John Paul II. “We give thanks to the Lord for giving us once more Peter in our midst to guide and shepherd us,” he said.
His praise for Pope Benedict has not silenced speculation that he opposed Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s elevation. Suspicions were heightened after a slip of the tongue during a press conference. Asked why Pope Benedict had been elected, Cardinal MurphyO’Connor replied “they chose this man” before correcting himself by saying “we chose this man.” Yet in an article for The Sunday Telegraph, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor reiterated his support of Pope Benedict, and expressed disappointment at the negative portrayal of the new Pope in the British press. “I am surprised at the picture painted of Pope Benedict in some of the British press,” he wrote.
The Daily Telegraph had run the headline “God’s Rottweiler is the new pope” on its front page, while The Daily Mail printed “Cardinals Pick the Rottweiler”. Several tabloids exploited the fact that, as a boy in Nazi Germany, Pope Benedict was forced to join the Hitler Youth. “From Hitler Youth to Papa Ratzi”, The Sun joked.
In Scotland, Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow also welcomed the election. In a homily in St Andrew’s Cathedral the Archbishop responded to the critics of Pope Benedict.
“Inevitably there will be some both inside and outside the Catholic Church who will be expressing disappointment that their expectations of a different outcome were not realised,” he said.
“Also predictably, there will be those in society at large who, having little sympathy for the doctrinal firmness of the Catholic Church, will take the opportunity to criticise it for not succumbing to their liberal demands.” The archbishop argued that the duty of a pope was not to compromise with contemporary values but to uphold the teaching of the Church.