BEFORE the conclave began, one cardinal said: “The Holy Spirit always ensures the right pope for the times. It did so in the case of John Paul II, and will do so again.”

It needs to. The agenda awaiting Benedict XVI is no less daunting than that which in 1978 faced the newly elected John Paul II, who as a Pole had confronted Nazi occupation and Soviet rule.

In his last testament, he expressed his relief that the spectre of nuclear war had receded after the end of the Cold War. But he also referred to “new problems and difficulties” which the millennium had brought with it.

Vatican officials say that long before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he had foreseen the danger of a “clash of civilisations” between the West and Islam and had sought to avoid it by reaching out to other faiths, including Islam.

At the conclave, cardinals were divided between those who placed the emphasis on dialogue with Islam and those who saw it as a threat to Christianity. The issue relates not only to terrorism and democracy in the Middle East, but also to Muslim immigration in Europe, which some in the Church see as a welcome injection of multiculturalism and others as an invasion by a rival faith. The new Pope will have to find a way of harnessing the yearning for spirituality, without compromising Roman Catholic doctrine and values.

Benedict XVI’s in-tray

1. Western secularism, moral relativism and individualism. How to translate the outpouring of adulation that brought millions to Rome for John Paul II’s funeral into commitment to the Church — rather than just vague spirituality. John Paul II brought the young on to the streets, in life and in death — but churches and seminaries in Europe are often empty.

2. Bioethics. Does the Vatican’s uncompromising stand on cloning, stem-cell research, artificial insemination, fertility treatment and abortion need revising? Some cardinals propose a “new dialogue with science”. Would this be a dangerous concession?

3. Sexuality. Female ordination is out, but can the Church find a new role for women? Should it abolish celibacy and allow priests to marry, to reverse the decline in priestly vocations? Would this also help the Church to deal with the sex abuse scandals? Should the Church be more tolerant of homosexuality?

4. Islam. Should the Church maintain John Paul II’s dialogue with other faiths and apologise for past Christian errors, or assert Christian values in the face of Muslim immigration in Europe and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism around the globe? Does contact with other faiths risk diluting Catholicism or enrich it?

5. Aids and condoms. There is a growing clamour for the Church to relax its ban on contraception to prevent the spread of Aids — the “lesser evil” argument. Should the Church also face the reality that many Catholics use contraception and therefore refuse to go to confession?

6. Collegiality. John Paul II, for all his charisma and media power, was a doctrinaire centraliser. Should Benedict XVI devolve power to the bishops and parishes in a surge of church democracy, or would this lead to disintegration and weakening of central control? Many dioceses want the grip of the curia (Vatican hierarchy) to be relaxed, and claim devolution as laid down by the Second Vatican Council has not been implemented.

7. Christian unity. How to tackle the challenge of Protestant evangelical and Pentecostal sects in Latin America and Africa. How far should efforts to heal the breach with Anglicans and Protestants go? How can the Church mend fences with the Russian Orthodox Church, an issue left over from John Paul II’s agenda?

8. Travel. Would it be better to copy the “Pilgrim Pope” and circle the globe on evangelising missions, or to stay in Rome, reform the curia and grip church affairs from the centre?

Have the princes of the church chosen well? Send your emails to debate@thetimes.co.uk

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