Habemus Papam!

VATICAN CITY (CP) - Proclaiming himself insufficient to follow in the steps of Pope John Paul, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the hardline German protector of the Roman Catholic conservative doctrine, was elected Pope on Tuesday. He took the name Benedict XVI. Ratzinger was greeted by thousands of Romans, pilgrims and tourists as he stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. The 78-year-old's voice seemed to strain under the weight of his new position as the church's universal pastor. "Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me - a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord," Ratzinger said, as some in the crowd chanted "Benedict! Benedict!" "The fact that the Lord can work and act even with insufficient means consoles me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers." While the crowd went wild when it was announced "Habemus papam!" - "We have a Pope!" - and the throng cheered Ratzinger's arrival, the greeting was restrained among the crowd of 100,000 papal enthusiasts. The crowd stopped cheering for a time after Ratzinger spoke while he remained on the balcony waving awkwardly. When he left, most pilgrims quickly filed out. A few stragglers shouted "Viva il Papa!"