Wednesday, April 20, 2005 (Philippines)

The enforcer who alienated some Roman Catholics in Germany with his zeal enforcing church orthodoxy, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, as the 265th pontiff, tells the huge crowd at the Vatican, “I entrust myself to your prayers.” (AP photo) VATICAN CITY—Three days after his 78th birthday, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, a guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy, was elected the new pope in the first conclave of the new millennium. He chose the name Pope Benedict XVI. The new emerged onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he waved to a wildly cheering crowd of tens of thousands and gave his first blessing as pope. Other cardinals clad in their crimson robes came out on other balconies to watch him. [full story]