Global disbelief and grief

RIO DE JANEIRO - From the parishes of Poland to the churches of Chile, Roman Catholics around the world were stunned Monday at the first papal resignation in six centuries, even as many prayed for a new charismatic pontiff who could lead the church into a new era after decades of disaffection and mistrust.

"We received the news with great regret and much surprise," said Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, who was discussed as a possible successor to Pope John Paul II when he died in 2005. "This is something completely new for the Catholic Church, though it was discussed during the illness of Pope John Paul II.  I didn't know Pope Benedict XVI would make this decision, but the last time I talked to him, he seemed physically tired."

Alis Ramirez, an ice cream seller headed to church in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, insisted, "He can't quit like that. This can't be."

But a few didn't consider it bad news at all.

"I don't care or feel sorry that the Pope resigned because he never entered my heart like John Paul II did," said Rosita Mejia, who sells religious icons outside La Merced church in downtown Santiago, Chile. "In fact, it's good that he leaves. He's done his job, and it's time for him to rest. In five years outside this church, only one person asked me for a Benedict stamp, while hundreds asked for John Paul's stamp."

The pope's announcement that he will step aside Feb. 28 brought reawakened calls for a more energetic successor, perhaps from Africa or Latin America - long considered a bulwark against continued losses in church membership in Europe and the United States.

"Europe today is going through a period of cultural tiredness, exhaustion, which is reflected in the way Christianity is lived," said Bishop Antonio Marto, of Fatima in central Portugal. "You don't see that in Africa or Latin America, where there is a freshness, an enthusiasm about living the faith."

In Latin America, home to about 40 percent of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, believers hoped the cardinals who select Benedict's successor will pay close attention to candidates from their region.

"I think it's time to name a pope from Latin America," homemaker Josefa Sanchez, 65, said at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Santa Tecla, outside El Salvador's capital of San Salvador. "Really, they should name one of ours. They've only named Europeans until now."

In Brazil, Zulma Alves, a cook who was lighting candles in front of a Rio de Janeiro church that was closed for Carnival, said: "We need someone young who can bring back the dynamism to the church."

African Catholics also expressed hope for a leader from their midst.

In Lagos, Nigeria, with about 20 million practicing Catholics, trader Chukwuma Awaegwu put his feelings simply Monday: "If I had my way, an African should be the next pope, or someone from Nigeria.

"It's true, they brought the religion to us, but we have come of age," he said. "In America, now we have a black president. So let's just feel the impact of a black pope."