December 23, 2010.  As the cables from the US State Department that were published by wikileaks continue to be dissected, one cable shows the US's take on the election of Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.

In a cable from the US Embassy to the Holy See, the report defines Ratzinger as a powerful and conservative cardinal who they consider will “stay the course” that was laid out by his predecessor Pope John Paul II. It says “there will be no liberalization of Catholic policy on abortion, contraception, priestly celibacy, and female priests.”

The cable reveals the reactions of aides close to Ratzinger before and immediately after his election. One aide was quoted as saying he was “speechless” at the news of Ratzinger's election to the papacy. The State Department notes Ratzinger may consider himself a transitional figure by choosing the name of Benedict because the previous Pope Benedict XV's papacy last only eight years, from 1914-1922.

Also by choosing the name Benedict, who was the patron saint of Europe, it reveals Ratzinger's likely emphasis on the Church in Europe.

Ratzinger made headlines in 2004 by expressing doubts about Turkey's possible EU membership and an unsuccessful push for a mention of Europe's Christian roots in the EU constitution.
The cable ends by commenting the US embassy believes Ratzinger was “the closest possible theological continuity they could find in a new Pope.”

They also recommend that the US “reach out to him early on to help shape his approach” with his influence on the world.

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