"RELIGION:
EU Greets Ratzinger's Election, Turkey Concerned
Stefania Bianchi
BRUSSELS, Apr 20 (IPS) - Europe has cautiously welcomed the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new pope, but there are also concerns over his view of Turkey's bid to join the European Union.
Joy and jubilation were mixed with reactions of surprise and disappointment when the 78-year-old Cardinal Ratzinger, the dean of the College of Cardinals and defender of conservative orthodoxy for 24 years, was named Apr. 19 as Pope Jean Paul II's successor.
The new pope, who will be known as Benedict XVI, is reckoned as a tough- minded enforcer of the 'true faith' and is firmly opposed to birth control and the ordination of women.
By choosing German-born Cardinal Ratzinger, the Vatican's 115 cardinals opted for a strong Catholic conservative insider, but also a potentially controversial figure and an opponent of Turkey's European Union (EU) membership bid. "
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