When the Rev. Denis J. Sweeney heard the news, he tore down the halls of St. Mary's Catholic school in Annapolis, high-fiving students and encouraging them to shout, "Three cheers for the new pope."
But 30 miles away, at the Hyattsville headquarters of the pro-reform Catholics Speak Out, where the faithful were hoping for a sign of liberalization on issues such as birth control and the ordination of women, the reaction was less celebratory.
"It really saddens me," said Rea Howarth, the director of Catholics Speak Out. "It's an indication that they're intent on holding the hard line, and the church really is in trouble."
Across Maryland, the ascension of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - a zealously conservative cardinal who was a close ally of Pope John Paul II - to become Pope Benedict XVI prompted strong and conflicting reactions.
Those who were hoping for a pope from the Third World were disappointed in the selection of the German-born cleric, but German-Americans delighted in the hope that he would champion Germans the way Pope John Paul did Poles. Though reformers were disappointed, conservatives took solace that the church would avoid an abrupt shift to the left.
And many of the faithful were happy the process was over.
"This church has had 26 years with this pope, so this is a big day," said Sweeney, the pastor of St. Mary's. "It was nice that the decision came quickly."
Bishop W. Francis Malooly, vicar general and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, celebrated a Mass last night at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen on North Charles Street and prayed for the new leader of Roman Catholics.
Malooly said he had met him previously, and, "I was very impressed with his warmth."
He read comments from Cardinal William H. Keeler, Baltimore's archbishop, who said he found Pope Benedict "to be understanding and supportive in many situations."
Fred Ruof, a liberal church activist in Baltimore and former priest, expressed concern that Pope Benedict's selection would signal "the suppression of theologic discussion on subjects like abortion, stem cell research and the ordination of women."
But, he said, "I owe it to him to listen, to see what he's going to think, say and do. My hope is that he will be a listener, but he's not shown that up to this point."
A hard-liner who strictly enforced Pope John Paul's policies, Ratzinger has been called ideologically rigid - even cold. But many who've met the new pope defended him yesterday, calling much of the criticism unfounded.
