John Paul II's heir.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Pope John Paul II called Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to Rome in 1981 and made him head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. For nearly a quarter of a century afterward, Ratzinger was the pope's point man on matters of doctrine and theology. More than anyone but John Paul II himself, Ratzinger charted the course of the Catholic Church.

And now, as Pope Benedict XVI, he will continue to steer it toward tradition, authority and faith.

Benedict XVI was elected Tuesday after just four ballots. The voting cardinals had little trouble reaching a decision, a fact that underlines how thoroughly John Paul II remade the church hierarchy. Cardinals who John Paul II had elevated turned quickly to the man who articulated the theology and doctrine of their patron, electing the first Germanic pope since the 11th century.

Just before the conclave began, Ratzinger spoke to the cardinals of the challenges facing the church, and humanity: "We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires." In its recent history, he said, the world has moved "from one extreme to the other - from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism."

Ratzinger's words echo John Paul II's, but with a harder edge. Under Benedict XVI, the church's condemnation of materialism, relativism and cafeteria Christianity will be maintained, but without the leavening of John Paul II's charisma. The new pope has already announced his first foreign trip - to a youth day gathering in Cologne, Germany - but it's doubtful that he, or anyone, will be able to match his predecessor's energy and popular appeal.

Benedict XVI's election disappointed those in Latin America and Africa who had hoped for a Third World pope. Both continents had viable candidates, which led to speculation that John Paul II's successor might make the issues of poverty and social justice a higher priority for the church. Such speculation overlooks the degree to which John Paul II, with Ratzinger's assistance, cemented modern church doctrine into place.

People in Latin America haven't forgotten that it was Ratzinger who clamped a lid on liberation theology. But the cardinals were not going to elect a pope who would revive an ideology that Pope John Paul II criticized as an attempt to politicize the church's message.

People in Africa are aware that the church opposed the use of condoms, a position Ratzinger and John Paul II defended, but which makes it harder to fight sexually transmitted diseases. But the conclave was not going to choose someone would would compromise the church's views on the sanctity of life.

Indeed, no one elected pope was going to reverse church teachings on any central point of doctrine. Pope John Paul II's heir was certain to be a close adherent to his doctrinal and theological positions.

No one was closer than Ratzinger. As pope, he will consolidate John Paul II's teachings and further solidify the church's determination to act as a polestar in a world of constant change. Benedict XVI will help extend John Paul II's influence far into the future.