C of I General Synod The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin Most Rev John Neill said "shivers did go down my spine" when he heard Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had been elected Pope.
Archbishop Neill added, however, that he actually knew little about the new Pope apart from a few documents.
He made his comments at a press conference yesterday during the Church of Ireland General Synod in Dublin.
Archbishop Neill said he quickly recognised that Cardinal Ratzinger was now being called to do a very different job, one which was "quite different from being the theological defender of the faith".
He was prepared to "wait and see" as far as the new Pope was concerned. He also wished to acknowledge Pope Benedict's recent messages to other churches, which had been helpful. He declared himself as being hopeful where future relations with the new papacy were concerned.
He referred to Pope Benedict as a "superb theologian", whose Christologically-centred theology "must really be welcomed". And, while acknowledging that some phrases in the 2000 Dominus Iesus document, prepared by Cardinal Ratzinger, had been "hurtful to other Christians", he acknowledged it was very easy to be negative about it. There was good material in it, particularly to do with its Christ-centredness, he said.
He agreed many Protestants would concur with the moral standpoint of Pope Benedict. The Pope appealed to people seeking "neatly-packaged answers", people such as evangelical Protestants and right-wing Catholics.
However, Anglicans tended to be people who were "on a faith journey, searching, questioning, and who had no liking for packaged answers", he said.
On church unity the archbishop said it was becoming more apparent that endless discussions on the matter were not moving things forward.
The challenge for all churches was to see what they could do together, so that growing in trust they could move forward together towards unity. What was required were more joint initiatives, he said, so that by doing they would become drawn together.
As an example he instanced a report on the Virgin Mary, which was being prepared by a joint group representing Anglicans and the Catholic Church and would be published later this month. It might clear up a lot of exaggerated differences.
He did not agree that changes in the Church of Ireland where homosexual and family issues were concerned deepened division with the Catholic Church.
The changes did not represent a threat to such relations so much as a different emphasis, while Anglicans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Roman Catholics, for example, all had "a similar core", he said. It came down to a recognition and acceptance of diversity.
On the issue of gay clergy in the Anglican Communion, he said the Church of Ireland bishops did not take a single position. They took different positions even as to its importance as an issue.
