Pope Benedict will lead Church in crisis and in need of healing
Despite John Paul’s personal magnetism, many of the Church’s 1.2 billion members are disaffected. The faith is losing ground in many parts of the world to other religions and is under threat from radical Islam and secularism.
Details are emerging on how the cardinals made their decision. While many observers had suggested Cardinal Ratzinger was too polarising a figure at this critical juncture in Church history, several cardinals appeared to have fallen into line behind the image of a strong leader who represented unambiguous moral authority.
