Benedict XVI meets press, promises to be open

Pope Benedict vowed to be as open as his predecessor yesterday at a meeting with the army of journalists that flocked to Rome to cover the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of his successor.

Speaking in his native German and three other languages at his first audience for non-clergy, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger thanked the media for its work and said journalists had a responsibility to seek the truth and defend human dignity. Greeted at times by loud applause from many of the 4,000 journalists, Pope Benedict said he wanted to "continue the fruitful dialogue" with the media begun by Pope John Paul, who stood out as a great communicator during his 26-year reign.

In his address, Pope Benedict thanked the media for putting the Church in the spotlight in recent weeks, saying the blanket coverage had a unifying power for Catholics around the world. But not all media commentary about the new Pope has pleased members of the Church, with some outlets seizing on Pope Benedict's conservatism as a disappointment to progressive Catholics.

Maureen Dowd, the acerbic New York Times columnist, compared the Pope yesterday to US Vice President Dick Cheney, calling him a "Jurassic arch-conservative". She said he wanted to roll back Vatican doctrine to the Middle Ages. Jeb Bush, a convert to Roman Catholicism, said in Rome that the Pope's clear positions were crucial in a turbulent world and quipped that the Pontiff should be highly honoured to be compared to Cheney.

"It's wonderful to have moral leaders that are not ambiguous about what is right and what is wrong," Governor Bush said. "This Pope, like his predecessor... has an important role to play in the times we're living."

Pope Benedict's message to the media was courteous but clear. He stressed the "ethical responsibility of those who work in the media, especially regarding the sincere search for truth and the defence of the centrality and dignity of the human person."

Displaying his linguistic skills by speaking in Italian, English, French and his native German, he said each journalist had to contribute to the common good. They should also understand the effect the media's recent breathless development can have "on people's consciences and their spiritual outlook and in forming public opinion".

Pope Benedict, who was the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith until his election on Tuesday, delivered his address confidently in the Vatican's huge audience hall. He smiled often and was interrupted by applause, particularly when he began speaking German. To do their work responsibly, the media had "to discover the truth, to use it and to make it known," said Pope Benedict.