For America's Divided Roman Catholics, a New Disagreement

SAN FRANCISCO, April 19 - Roman Catholics poured into cathedrals and parish churches across the United States on Tuesday to celebrate Masses of Thanksgiving for the new pope, Benedict XVI, but the choice of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as pope prompted strong disagreement over what he would mean for the American church.

Some liberal Catholics and interest groups criticized the choice as a lost opportunity to move the church in a less doctrinaire direction because the new pope, a conservative German who was close to the late John Paul II, has long held hard-line positions on many divisive issues, including birth control, homosexuality and the ordination of women. He has also suggested that a vote for a politician who supports abortion rights could be sinful, and that American bishops should deny such politicians Holy Communion.

With no less fervor, many conservative Catholics praised Benedict as a strong leader whom they expected to shore up the church's teachings and serve as a formidable steward of traditional values. Some expressed hopes that the new pope would again require that Latin be spoken at Mass.

Perhaps the only point not in contention was that at age 78, Benedict was likely to have a much shorter papacy than John Paul, who was 58 when he was selected in 1978, and therefore less opportunity to leave a lasting imprint.

"Who could follow an act like that?" said Valerie Lienau of Moraga, Calif., who was among the 100 or so people who celebrated a thanksgiving Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco, the seat of the archdiocese here. "This gives people a chance to catch their breath and absorb the legacy of Pope John Paul II. The important thing is who will be the pope after Cardinal Ratzinger."

Ms. Lienau, a self-described orthodox Catholic, said she was overjoyed at the selection and drove 25 miles to San Francisco to mark the occasion in the grandeur of the hilltop cathedral. But when she excitedly phoned her son, who is gay, the response was a loud groan.