Ask Catholics in Lawrence and many will tell you they didn’t expect Joseph Ratzinger to be elected pope.

The College of Cardinals elected Ratzinger of Germany to succeed John Paul II as pope yesterday.

The decision surprised many on campus, including Monsignor Vince Krische of the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center.

He said Ratzinger, who turned 78 on Saturday and chose the name Benedict XVI, had a lot of experience, but that he didn’t know what to expect from the German pope.

“It’ll be interesting to see now his approach to the Third World,” he said. “I wonder where he’ll go first and what his first speech will be.”

He said he did not anticipate a German would be selected as the new pope. He thought the new pope would have come from a Latin-American or Third-World country, rather than from Europe, he said.

He said Ratzinger’s international recognition, however, probably helped him earn votes from his fellow cardinals.

Krische also said he thought Ratzinger’s fluency in Italian helped his case. His strong fluency in Italian could benefit the Romans who listen to him, he said. Ratzinger is also fluent in nine other languages, Krische said.

Ratzinger would continue to develop the relationship between Christians and members of other religions, he said.

The new pope’s old age was the general concern among students.

“I was worried because he was so old,” Lauren Grabowsky, Dallas freshman, said.

She said she didn’t want Ratzinger to have as short of a reign as Pope John Paul II’s predecessor, Pope John Paul I, who died 33 days after his election.

Kate Phillips, Lansing junior, was also concerned about Ratzinger’s age.

“He’s going to die soon and then they’re going to have to go through all this again,” she said.

But she was more concerned about Ratzinger’s values, which she heard were the most conservative of all the candidates, she said. She wished the cardinals had elected a more progressive pope, she said.

But not every student thought the pope’s old age was the biggest surprise.

Ashley Johnson, Kansas City, Mo., sophomore, said she was surprised that the Cardinals had elected a German to be pope. She said she thought they would give the pope’s seat back to an Italian Cardinal.

Krische was surprised by the selection of an old pope, but he said Benedict XVI was in good health and good shape.

Bryan Witry, Milwaukee junior, also was surprised that a 78 year old was elected pope, but he said he was not surprised Ratzinger was elected because he served as Pope John Paul II’s right-hand man. Since 1981, Benedict XVI served as John Paul II’s head of the congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

He said he considered Ratzinger to be next in line for pope because it was like the president-vice president situation.