The College of Cardinals, in their election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany as the successor to Pope John Paul II, indicated that, at least for the present, they were uncomfortable with the prospects of a long papacy that might possibly bring more than subtle change to the path the Catholic Church has witnessed for more than a quarter-century.

In the wake of the 26-year papacy of John Paul II, the cardinals' election of Ratzinger, 78, who chose the name Benedict XVI, expressed contentment with the prospects of a transitional papacy, giving the cardinals time to ponder and assess what John Paul II accomplished and left unfinished, and reflect on the needs and possible issues of the future.

But, at the same time, neither the cardinals nor anyone else can predict at this juncture the exact path that this new pope will take in terms of daily Church business issues such as the Church's financial needs, Church reforms, issues such as the priest sex-abuse scandals - and whether there will be any major surprises along the way.

Accompanying Benedict XVI is his longstanding reputation as a guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy, and that would seem to be a harbinger of little deviation from the papacy of John Paul II. But just as Pope John XXIII's papacy was initially viewed in transitional terms when he was elected in 1958, the reforms that were initiated during his five years as pope - specifically, he called the Second Vatican Council that revolutionized the Church from within and opened up its dialogue with non-Catholics - became the foundations of the papacies of Pope Paul VI and John Paul II - and probably would have been the foundation of the papacy of Pope John Paul I had his papacy not been so short-lived.

The new pontiff's selection of the name "Benedict" will be extensively analyzed in the days ahead - how the Pope Benedicts before him led the Church and what the name might seem to imply for the future for the world's Catholics.

It is no secret that the new pope's native Germany, prior to his selection, was deeply divided over the prospect of him leading the Church. A recent poll showed that Germans opposing his selection outnumbered supporters by 7 percentage points, mostly because of his zeal enforcing church orthodoxy and thus resisting significant change in traditional thinking.

But others, like the Rev. Thomas Frauenlob, who heads the seminary in Traunstein, Germany, where Ratzinger studied and had regularly returned to visit, says the new pope has a personal touch for which he often is not given credit.

"I find it hurtful to see him described as a hard-liner," Frauenlob said. "People are too quick to say that; it's not an accurate reflection of his personality."

Frauenlob said "only someone who knows tradition is able to shape the future."

Amidst all the analyses and news coverage that will accompany the new pontiff remains the basic issue that, after the death of John Paul II, the Catholic Church was in need of a leader. In Ratzinger, who served as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for John Paul II since 1981, the Church indeed has a leader who made a mark during his lengthy service to the Church.

Catholics are hopeful that Benedict XVI will inspire great admiration like his predecessor and that he will spread the Catholic message around the world in the trademark way of John Paul II.

Benedict XVI addressed the people packing St. Peter's Square with the message that he is "a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord."

"I entrust myself to your prayers," he said

Billions of people around the globe will be praying that he is the right leader for this troubled world.