Show New Pontiff Outlines Vision for Church at Inaugural Mass Massi i L i i 4 tr tn r introduce him Daniel Williams The Washington Post Pope Benedict XVI employing ancient symbols of power and humility ty ceremonially assumed leadership of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday and unveiled a broad manifesto manifesto manifesto mani mani- festo of moral and social themes he expects to pursue as head of a 11 bil bil- member lion-member congregation Benedict draped in in gold presided outdoor Mass in St. St Peters Peter's at an Square whose twin colonnades embraced hundreds of thousands of worshipers The crowd spilled down the broad Via della dell a toward the Tiber River as a variety of national flags flapped briskly in a spring breeze d Amid all the splendor and adulation adulation adulation adula adula- tion the new pontiff began his sermon on a humble note At this moment weak servant of God that I am I must assume this enormous task which truly exceeds all human capacity How can I do this How will I be able to doit doit do doit it he asked Then invoking saints and Catholics I donot donot do donot at large he said I am not alone not have to carry alone what in truth I could never carry alone The massive throng responded with frequent if somewhat tentative applause to the new popes pope's words They clapped most enthusiastically when Benedicts Benedict's predecessor Pope John Paul II was mentioned Benedict smiled infrequently during the sermon which he delivered in Italian but looked cheerful at the end of the service He then mounted an open white automobile for atour a atour atour tour of the square wishers Well-wishers shouted Viva and Benedict Benedict Unlike the pope mobile used by John Paul who was the target of an assassination attempt in 1981 Benedicts Benedict's vehicle was not equipped with bulletproof glass The Mass and sermon capped a six- six day period in which Cardinal Joseph chief the Vatican's rigorous defender of dogma for almost 25 years was transformed into Pope Benedict XVI Catholicism's pontiff was well known inside the Vatican walls and at Catholic con con- His name is a fixture in theological theological the the- libraries Since his election as Vatican officials pope on Tuesday I nave tu iv un as Benedict leader of all Catholics Sometimes it was done through official official official cial television cameras which recorded record record- the followers on ed him greeting street blessing children and smiling expansively Sometimes it was accomplished accomplished accomplished by way of chatty associates who described some of his personal traits traits his his love of piano and Mozart dohis dohis do dohis his willingness to his sly humor his own housekeeping On Sunday he gave the widest portrait portrait portrait por por- trait yet of his thoughts As if in answer to the widely expressed opinion opinion opinion ion that he is dictatorial he pledged but to own ideas not to pursue my See Pope continued on page 3 Pope from front listen together with the whole church to the word and the will of the Lord When he was a cardinal in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith he referred to other faiths as deficient On Sunday he greeted all those who have been reborn in the sacrament of baptism but are not yet in full communion with us as aswell aswell aswell well as brothers and sisters of the Jewish people to whom we are joined by a great shared spiritual her her- Finally he concluded like a wave gathering force mv my thou thoughts go o out to all men and aid w women me of today to believers and nonbelievers alike 4 n I Along with problems o of f t 1 the soul Benedict briefly addressed concrete sources of to day-to-day suffering in in ina a rare statement on social issues There is the desert of poverty ty the desert of hunger and thirst the desert of abandonment abandonment abandonment abandon abandon- ment of loneliness of destroyed love There is the desert of Gods God's darkness the emptiness of souls no longer aware of their dignity or the goal of human life he said At one point he sounded like an avid environmentalist The earths earth's treasures no longer serve to build Gods God's garden for all to live in but they have been made to serve the powers of exploitation and destruction Benedict said He also turned his attention to world leaders Recalling that John Paul had criticized them Benedict said The pope was addressing the mighty the powerful of this world who feared that Christ might take away something of their power if they were to let him in Yes he would certainly certain certain- ly have taken something away from them the dominion of corruption the manipulation of law and the freedom to do doas doas doas as they pleased The papal transition has been seamless Long before John Paul died had become a leading Vatican voice on diverse church issues He delivered the ser- ser mon at John Pauls Paul's funeral and ata Mass celebrated just before the opening Monda Monday nr 1 01 the ne conc conclave ave of 0 car cardinals d ma s who elected him the next day Benedict then reappointed all the officials who served in John Pauls Paul's cabinet The he only vacant position is his former job at the Congregation for forr forthe the Doctrine of the Faith Yet as he emerged from St. St Peters Peter's Basilica on Sunday morning Benedict seemed tense His eyes shifted from side to side and his voice occasionally wavered as he addressed the audience which included President Bushs Bush's brother Gov Jeb Bush Bushof Bushof Bushof of Florida German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain and other dignitaries Benedicts Benedict's inauguration was rooted in medieval ritual set against Renaissance splendor splendor splendor dor and broadcast around the world via century tech tech- He sat on a white throne and received a pair of papal symbols One was the a wool lambs stole decorated with five red crosses cross cross- es and pierced by pins The crosses represent the wounds of Jesus and the pins signify the nails d driven iven into his hands and feet when he was cruci cruci- fied Benedict ordered up the stole in the style worn by medieval popes In the sermon sermon sermon ser ser- mon he said the stole represented represented represented the yoke of Christ placed on the shoulders of the rum pones s. s He also carried carrigg jl a silver staff that symbolized his role as shepherd of his flock He then received th the fishermans fishermans fish c cHe erman's ring which is also his seal of office and symbol of authority It bore an image of Saint Peter a fisherman and founder of the Roman Catholic Church Benedict took the opportunity opportunity opportunity to emphasize the philosophical philosophical philosophical philo philo- as well as theological cal base for his beliefs He voiced distrust of ideologies an attitude that biographers attribute to contact with Nazi rule in Germany and aversion to Marxism in Europe All ideologies of power justify themselves in exactly this way they justify the destruction destruction destruction tion of whatever would stand in the way of progress and the liberation of humanity he said Benedicts Benedict's sermon swung between optimism and intense pessimism practically in rhythm with the Roman sun that ducked in and out of the clouds At one point he called the church young and alive at another he described the world as a sea of alien alien- At the end he made the closest thing to an emotional appeal Pray for me he implored that I may not flee for fear of the wolves |