c. 2005 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) St. Peter’s Square, where the throng mourned only days ago, was transformed Tuesday (April 19) into a place of hope and joy. As white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney and bells pealed, the crowd swelled again.

The people overflowed the square for the public funeral Mass of John Paul II, desperate to be a part of the long, reluctant goodbye to a man who loved them and whom they loved in return. On Tuesday, they came again to see _ and to be a part of _ the next beat in the unchanging rhythm of the Roman Catholic Church and the faith it proclaims: Death gives way to resurrection, darkness gives way to light, anxiety gives way to hope, sorrow gives way to joy.

I don’t think Tuesday’s joy will last, though.

I think Pope Benedict XVI is destined to be a sad pope, a pontiff much more in the mold of Paul VI than John Paul II.

It was Paul VI who was left to redraw the church’s boundaries with the modern world after his beloved predecessor, John XXIII, and the Second Vatican Council raised hopes for rampant liberalization. When Paul dug in his heels on birth control, he was right, but he was vilified as out of step with the times.

Sadness akin to Paul’s was what I thought I saw in the new pope’s eyes as he stood on the balcony, greeting the faithful. He acknowledged the cheers with a tentative smile, but he hardly basked in them. In his last moments on the terrace, before he retreated behind the heavy red velvet curtain, his face was almost expressionless.

The crowd in the square was caught up in the moment, reveling in the opportunity to be on stage as history was made. Benedict, though, seemed already to have moved on, looking ahead and wondering where all of this might lead.

The man who will be contrasted endlessly with his immediate predecessor took less than five minutes to show the world the first key difference: He disconnected from the crowd, something John Paul II would never have done.

This pope isn’t going to be a pop star in white robes. He’s not likely to be a crowd-pleaser. He will not fulfill any longing among the faithful for a pope like John Paul II, nor should he try.

John Paul’s gifts were extraordinary _ an iron will cushioned by a humble charm and an easy way with people. He did what he thought was right, usually in defiance of the desires of the secular world, and yet was beloved.

Benedict has the will, but probably lacks the charm.

And he lacks two other important advantages that John Paul had: the ability to begin his papacy as an unknown with a clean slate, and a Cardinal Ratzinger to act as a willing lightning rod.

What we know about Benedict, who was known until his election as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, comes from his work as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In that role, he championed church orthodoxy and clashed with dissidents, often insulating John Paul from the fray. He has put himself on the record time and again on every hot-button issue of faith, morals, doctrine, tradition and practice. Because of that, there will be no “honeymoon” for him.

Opponents of orthodoxy will attack him relentlessly, and the media _ skeptical of faith, always in love with a juicy controversy _ will play eagerly along. In his writings and in his pronouncements until now, Ratzinger has stood for what the church teaches, no more, no less. I expect he’ll do the same as Benedict. And that will disappoint many people _ and many Catholics.

But he cannot retreat from the battle, any more than John Paul II, or Paul VI or St. Peter could. Like them, he will have to find ways to teach us in spite of ourselves.

I believe Catholics will face a time of testing in this pontificate. They will have to decide whether they believe the Holy Spirit is guiding the church.

And if we give this pope a chance, we may learn a bit more about what the Apostle Paul meant by “many gifts but the same spirit.” We know Benedict has a hard head, but we cannot rule out the possibility that he has a pastor’s heart, too.

Until now, he has been the embodiment of his task, the preservation of orthodoxy. I’m glad to say I don’t see him shrinking from that, but I also look forward to knowing his other dimensions.

Will he alienate some people? Sure, especially those who are just spoiling to be alienated. He understands that such is the price of standing for something. I think that will wound him, though.

At the end of his papacy, John Paul seemed intent on showing us how to carry the cross. I fear that Benedict will show us from the outset.

(Kevin O’Brien is deputy editorial director for The Plain Dealer of Cleveland.)

KRE/PH END OBRIEN