Pusty tron. Wybór kardynała Josepha Aloisa Ratzingera na biskupa Rzymu w świetle prasy polskiej

The death of Pope John Paul II marked the end of one of the longest pontificates in the history of the Catholic Church. Following the tradition of the Holy See, immediately upon this announcement, preparations for the conclave began. On 19 April 2005, being the second day of the papal conclave, German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, one of the closest of Karol Wojtyła’s collaborators and the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of many years’ standing, was elected as the new Bishop of Rome. The article examines the way in which the Polish press commented on the most important aspects of that historic event, i.e. the image of Ratzinger as papabili, first impressions and reactions to the decision of the College of Cardinals, reactions of the world to the new pope, the election of John Paul II’s successor taking into account relations between Poland and Germany, questions about the future shape of the pontificate etc. The general interest of the press in the conclave and its result leads to a conclusion that, despite the mounting criticism and increasing secularisation, the Catholic Church still remains interesting to the public. A widespread discussion about the person of the new pope held on the pages of the most popular dailies and weeklies in Poland undoubtedly reflects the most important doubts concerning the identity and future of the Church.