On only the second day of the conclave, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was chosen as pope.

The quick selection and the choice of Ratzinger, who then took the name Benedict XVI, sends a clear message about how the Catholic Church’s leaders see the world.

Ratzinger served under Pope John Paul II as the chief enforcer of church doctrine and was often called upon to discipline more liberal members of the church who questioned Vatican dictates. On Monday, before the conclave began, he delivered a strident homily about the dangers of relativism, materialism and individualism.

“To have a clear faith according to the church’s creed is today often labeled fundamentalism, while relativism, letting ourselves be carried away by any wind of doctrine, appears as the only appropriate attitude for today’s times. A dictatorship of relativism is established that recognizes nothing definite and leaves only one’s own ego and one’s own desires as the final measure,” he said during the sermon.

By electing Ratzinger, a German, the cardinals have shown that their biggest concern rests in parts of the world where the church has been losing influence, namely North America and Europe. Before the conclave, church experts had speculated that the next pope might come from Latin America or Africa, where the church is growing and most directly confronts other religions, like Islam, which are gaining new influence.

The selection also shows the lasting influence of Pope John Paul II, who had elevated Ratzinger to his high position as dean of the college of cardinals and used the tough-minded priest to rein in progressive elements in the church. Ratzinger, who was considered an early favorite, could also be considered a transitional figure for the papacy. His close ties to John Paul could be an indicator that he will continue the church along its current path in regard to the Second Vatican Council, while his age – Ratzinger turned 78 Saturday – would suggest a shorter papal reign than that of his predecessor.

Ratzinger earned his share of critics, especially among progressive elements of the church. He wrote a letter advising U.S. bishops about giving communion to politicians who support abortion rights, warned against admitting the largely Muslim Turkey into the predominantly Christian European Union and once described allegations of sexual abuse by priests as part of a campaign against the church.

He has also been the most vocal guardian of church doctrine, and his influence in the day-to-day operations of the church during the declining health of John Paul is not questioned. A profile in The Washington Post called him the guardian of orthodoxy and said many Vatican observers considered him a vice pope because of the high regard in which he was held by John Paul II.

“The new pope faces many challenges, some of them urgent, but the direction has been set. We believe that he is the choice of the Holy Spirit, who will guide and protect him as he takes up the particular challenges given by Christ to St. Peter: Feed my sheep,’ and strengthen the brethren,'” said Bishop Richard Malone of the Portland Diocese in a prepared statement.

For Maine’s 234,000 Catholics, the selection of a new pope is a time for celebration and hope for a reinvigorated church. Habemus papam. We have a pope.