Dismayed? Definitely. Disengaged? Definitely not

Kathy Sheridan discovers a surprising depth of feeling among shoppers and schoolgirls about the choice of Pope

Looking for views on the new Pope? The Pro-Cathedral seems an obvious place to go. But no - that would surely be self-defeating since your respondents are, by definition, devout Mass-goers, and that hardly squares with the image of the "average" Irish Catholic.

The other cathedral seems a better bet. It's newer, bigger and attracts a cross-section of all sorts. It's heavily biased towards women, of course, and not exactly orthodox, but aren't all surveys weighted in one way or another? Yes, Dundrum Town Centre fits the bill.

And that, sadly, is where all preconceptions end. On Wednesday morning, not one woman approached is indifferent. Dismayed, disappointed, dispirited? Definitely. Disengaged? Definitely not. Some are clearly taken aback at the intensity of their own reaction to the news. A few had thrown objects at the television. Most are regretful about the reform that will not come, not for their own sakes, but for others. And all have a sense that the cardinals have blown a wonderful opportunity.

"My heart dropped," says a young Cork woman and regular Mass-goer. "I was surprised at how disappointed I was. I'm sure Cardinal Ratzinger is a nice man, but this was the chance to choose someone who is out there - maybe a South American, someone from a place where people are struggling and who is struggling with them."

"I think they went backwards, definitely," says Theresa Wainer (46), a sales assistant married to a Jewish man. "I hoped it would be Martini, but he has Parkinson's. I was expecting a younger Pope . . . He's never going to let priests marry now.

"I will still go to Mass. He makes no difference to me, but I'd love to see him change for the priests' sake, because I think celibacy has to have something to do with the abuse of kids."

He will make "no difference" to their lives, but those who go to Mass - nearly all of those who spoke to The Irish Times - will continue to do so, if only to give an example to their children. Adele Watson (31) from Killiney, Co Dublin, now living in Cambridge, says her only wish is for the Pope to address poverty and the "horrendous" Aids epidemic.

"I understand that they have to take a line on issues, but when people are dying because they're terrified of going against the church, that's surely more important," she says.

Nicola Murphy, a young Protestant married to a Catholic, makes the point that "my priests can marry . . . If I have trouble or difficulties, I wouldn't be going to the local [ Catholic] priest. They have no experience of married or family life".

"Sure, haven't they married priests already?" says an exasperated Co Laois woman. "Didn't they take in the Anglican priests who didn't want to be Anglicans any more because they were ordaining women?"

"I can't believe it," barks a 52-year-old woman. "Talk about getting the wrong end of the stick. Those fellows completely misunderstood what was going on over the past few weeks and decided we wanted more of the same. What would this man know about women or marriage or life after being locked up in the Vatican for over 20 years? And no, you can't use my name, I do the flowers in the church."

ACROSS THE CITY, in the more peaceful environs of Phoenix Park, a Leaving Cert religion class from Mount Sackville Girls' Secondary School ponders the same questions. Most of the girls are Mass-goers, though only three or four are sufficiently pro-Pope to have wanted to join the young "Giovanni Paolo" chanters and dancers in St Peter's Square in recent weeks.

"He's an old man, I can't relate to him. But he won't stop me going to Mass," says Grace Walsh of the new Pope.

"I'm not very religious," says Sarah Smith, "but people don't all believe the same thing anyway. How many Catholics don't use contraception because they shouldn't? There is a need to let women become more involved and to let priests marry."

Rachel Kane says serenely that all the recent fuss won't affect her at all. "I have no interest in it. I pray myself. I don't see the need for the Pope in my inner life."

Claire Halligan and Amanda Croker reckon that the choice of Pope was "the safe bet".

"Stalling for time," comments Claire.

"He'll probably just finish off John Paul's job," says Amanda.

"No one's giving him a chance. Maybe he will make changes. I'll wait and see what he has to say, especially about women's role in the church," says Sinead Coleman.

"This is really new for all us young people," points out Emer Lydon, who, given a chance, would have danced for John Paul in St Peter's Square. "I don't want to be too sceptical. He's only been in power a day."

Sheila Byrne agrees - and distinguishes herself by declaring in favour of the new Pope Benedict. "I'd be quite happy with him. People are calling for liberal reform, but can you imagine the uproar? I think it gives us the sense of security that we need if we think nothing is going to change. Either way, my faith won't be challenged."

But others hanker for change and a connection with the reality of the world, bleak as it may be.

Jenny McGill says she had hoped for someone who would address the Aids epidemic in Africa, "and it would have been good to have someone who was open to the idea of women within the Church, even the idea of thinking and having discussions about it".

The upside of recent events, as Nicola Smyth points out, is that they have at least "created an awareness in me. People are more involved now, more aware of what the Pope is doing".

The girls' popular teacher, Eileen Higgins (39), has been casting a clinical eye on the flurry of devotion in recent weeks.

"I don't believe that it has much to do with religion," she says. "It comes from a spiritual need. It's a bit like the moving statues, which came at a time when people were losing contact with the faith and missing something symbolic, something that fulfilled a need. I think what is happening is that on the one hand there is a fundamentalism and on the other the experience of relativism, and that leaves an emptiness."

There may be green shoots of interest, she adds. "People are more involved, there are programmes focused on religious issues. Before this, the bishops and priests were defending themselves against scandals; now it's about faith and religion, and they have regained their voice.

"There is certainly something going on. In this school, there is a kind of openness to religious reality. We have six girls in sixth year who are thinking of studying theology and a half-dozen others who are really involved in their parishes. That's a recent phenomenon, in the past five to six years.

"Then again, there will be all those theologically articulate women ready to take up roles in the church. But where is their career path? What do they do? So is it just a blip?

"It depends on what happens afterwards. With the global village and Sky TV phenomenon, everybody is watching now. Anything the new Pope says and does will be followed. But have you noticed - today, it's very quiet in Rome? People are talking about 'a charisma-free zone'. Maybe that's it. Maybe it's over."