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John Paul II will long be remembered as the greatest pope since the Reformation. His successor, Benedict XVI, may well turn out to be the harbinger of a new reformation. I say this despite the fact that the selection of this particular pope was a surprise to many.

Several years ago, John Allen, the biographer of Joseph Ratzinger, listed four reasons why the controversial cardinal would not be chosen as the new pope: He lacked sufficient pastoral experience; he was another non-Italian European, and two in a row would not be likely; he was too conservative; and he was too old. In fact, he turned 78 on the weekend prior to his election.

The last time a man of comparable age was selected to succeed a long-serving pontiff was in 1958, when Angelo Roncalli succeeded Pius XII as John XXIII. To the surprise of many, the "good pope John" proved to be far more than a mere caretaker. He opened Catholicism to the wind of the Spirit by convening the Second Vatican Council.

I am not predicting that Benedict XVI will follow suit and preside over a new council, Vatican III. But I do believe his pontificate will be one of great moment for the Christian church, not least for evangelicals. Here are five reasons why evangelical Protestants, and orthodox believers of all persuasions, should be pleased at the election of Pope Benedict XVI.

1. He takes truth seriously. Born in Bavaria in 1927, on the eve of the Nazi seizure of power in Germany, young Joseph Ratzinger saw firsthand the brutality and terror of the Nazi way of life. Behind totalitarian violence was utter contempt for the truth claims of the historic Christian faith. As a schoolboy, Ratzinger once witnessed his Nazi teacher replace the cross in the center of his village with a Maypole, a neo-pagan symbol of Teutonic native religion.

Despite the defeat of Hitler and Stalin, the de-Christianization of Europe and, to a lesser extent, of North America continues to pose a great challenge to the church today. This is why Cardinal Ratzinger spoke, on the eve of his papal election, of the "dictatorship of relativism."

On his episcopal coat of arms are the Latin words "cooperatores veritatis," a phrase taken from 3 John 1:8, "That we may be fellow workers for the truth." The Christian faith stands or falls with the imperious claim that the almighty Creator of all that is has acted in space and time to reveal himself in nature and history and to redeem the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is a statement about the way things are, not merely about what is "true for me." Although Simone Weil never received Christian baptism, I believe the new pope would agree with her statement that "Christ likes us to prefer truth to him because, before being Christ, he is truth. If one turns aside from him to go toward the truth, one will not go far before falling into his arms."

2. His theology is Bible-focused. As a young theologian in his early 30s, Ratzinger played a pivotal role at Vatican II. This council declared that "easy access to sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful." This "trend to the Bible" has continued to enrich Catholic devotional life and has allowed many Roman Catholics and evangelical believers to find common ground in reading and studying the Bible together. Benedict XVI's theological work is marked by an evident love and devotion to the Scriptures. "Exegesis," he has said, "has always remained for me the center of my theological work." While serious issues related to Scripture and tradition remain to be resolved, we can rejoice that this new pope honors the Bible as the divinely inspired and authoritative written revelation of God.

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June 2005, Vol. 49, No. 6