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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, April 21, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 20, 2005 Local Catholics view new pope with hope, excitement By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune Rogue Valley Catholics are greeting the election of Pope Benedict XVI with confidence that he will continue the pro-life and pro-peace mission of his friend and close colleague John Paul II. "I’m very pleased," said the Rev. Liam Cary of Medford’s Sacred Heart Church. "I’m a great admirer of his and have followed his writings for years. He was one of the experts and major participants in Vatican II, and he’s a brilliant man." Sacred Heart will celebrate the election of Benedict at 7 p.m. Friday with a bilingual Mass. Upon the announcement Tuesday, the church rang its bells and decked entries in banners of gold and white, the papal colors. Masses at other Catholic churches have not yet been announced. Jim Savage of Medford, a member of Sacred Heart’s pastoral council, called the new pope a "very holy, orthodox and capable man, one we can expect great things from." Savage and others expressed hope that Benedict would follow John Paul II’s example of widespread travel, televised preaching to large crowds and outreach across traditional lines of culture, nationality and religion. Advertisement "I hope he will — and I don’t think the church will allow the pope to be anything else now," said Savage. "The days of staying in the Vatican and reigning from Rome are over." Sacred Heart parishioner Kathleen Wilson of Medford said, "I’m really excited, because the church will be held true to her beliefs under the new pope. He will continue to teach the faith as John Paul II did — the life issues, natural birth, natural conception, natural death. He will preach that peace is a better way than war, if it can be done that way." Sandy Dinius of Medford, a member of Sacred Heart, said she’s pleased that Benedict is a traditionalist, a conservative who has made clear pro-life statements. "I do hope he will be a people’s pope like John Paul II was," said Dinius. "He might not be as open or vibrant as John Paul, but I believe he’ll want to reach out to the world and be a good pope." Pastoral associate Ann Brophy of Sacred Heart said, "I feel really good, very pleased. It’s an excellent selection, with him having been prefect of the Doctrine of the Faith." That office, which Benedict has held since 1981, enforces the discipline of priests and doctrine worldwide. Benedict XVI is "a very known quantity, with a paper trail a mile long," said Cary. The rapid agreement of cardinals on the election, he added, is "a sign of great confidence in his leadership � one that gives me confidence." The Rev. William McHugh of Our Lady of Fatima in Shady Cove, said, "I’m very pleased everyone seemed to be on the same page and we got a new pope quick." Doctrinally, Benedict is "as one" with John Paul II, said Cary, especially around the issues of life, meaning continued opposition to contraception, abortion and euthanasia. "These are fundamental Catholic issues," added Cary, and they include an unchanging stance on ordination of women priests and gay rights. Said Savage, "We’re not going to see any innovations on ordination of women, contraception or divorce, but I think he will be progressive on social issues, such as poverty, crime, the right to education and women’s issues." The cardinals, Cary said, likely chose Benedict, 78, to give themselves a "breathing spell" after the "enormous vitality" of John Paul II. Benedict has just written a book on Islam and will likely step up the dialogue with the Islamic world, Cary said, in the interest of building bridges in an explosive world. Popes choose their papal names to strike a chord for their papacy, said Cary, and the name Benedict always has been associated with charity for the poor and the fostering of learning and culture. Benedict’s advanced age —two years from being an octogenarian — could be a sign, noted Savage, that the church wishes to avoid quarter-century reigns like the one just ended. John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. 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