Cyclist off to Alaska for climb /13
Longevity needs more than good genes /25

Oil rigs could house fish farms /30
Boston Rob and Amber's nuptials to air in May /15

CITIZEN
Serving the Central Interior since 1916
"The fact that the Lord can work and act even with insufficient means consoles me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers." While the crowd went wild w h e n i t wa s a n n o u n c e d "Habemus papam!" -- "We have a Pope!" -- and the throng cheered Ratzinger's arrival, the greeting was restrained among the crowd of BENEDICT XVI 100,000 papal enthusiasts. The crowd stopped cheering for a time after Ratzinger spoke while he remained on the balcony waving awkwardly. When he left, most pilgrims quickly filed out. A few stragglers shouted "Viva il Papa!" Many in the Roman crowd had undoubtedly hoped for an Italian pope. And with nicknames like the Panzer Cardinal, God's Rottweiler and the Enforcer, he was not the choice of Catholics who were hoping the church would adapt to modern realities like contraception, and in the western world, equal roles for women. "We are not in the 1200s. The question is when does tradition become a bad habit," said JeanJacques Bourque, a London, Ont. resident, who was clearly dismayed by the choice. Bourque has a son who is studying to become a priest. "His hard line is one-sided. My interpretation of hard line is we'll protect the old guard. When

PRINCE GEORGE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2005

80 CENTS (HOME DELIVERED: 57 CENTS A DAY)

German cardinal named Pope
VATICAN CITY (CP) -- Proclaiming himself insufficient to follow in the steps of Pope John Paul, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the hardline German protector of the Roman Catholic conservative doctrine, was elected Pope on Tuesday. He took the name Benedict XVI. Ratzinger was greeted by thousands of Romans, pilgrims and tourists as he stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. The 78-yearold's voice seemed to strain under the weight of his new position as the church's universal pastor. "Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me -- a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord," Ratzinger said, as some in the crowd chanted "Benedict! Benedict!" you have pedophiles running wild with children, the hard line is, `We'll ignore it."' In his choice of a name, Ratzinger may be trying to soften his image. Benedict XV, who reigned from 1914 to 1922, was a moderate following Pius X, who had implemented a sharp crackdown against doctrinal "modernism." He reigned during the First World War and was credited with settling animosity between traditionalists and modernists, and dreamed of reunion with Orthodox Christians. Ratzinger, a frontrunner from John Paul's death April 2, was frequently mentioned as a transitional figure, whose age would leave him with a short reign following John Paul's 26-year papacy.

Bishop eager to work with Pope Benedict
by BERNICE TRICK Citizen staff The bishop of the Prince George Diocese says the world needs to exhibit patience while waiting to see how Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger of Germany will follow in the footsteps of the late Pope John Paul II. Bishop Gerald Wiesner said with such big shoes to fill, "it's important that we wait to give him a chance to exercise his new role" as Pope Benedict XVI. Ratzinger, a longtime guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy, was elected Pope on Tuesday. Wiesner said sometimes there can be disappointment when the new Pope is not of Italian descent, just as was the case with the late Polish Pope, John Paul II. "When he was elected as the first nonItalian pope for so long, everybody was saying `What's going to happen now?'... and yet, look what happened," Wiesner said. "That's why I think it's important that we be present, supportive and wait to see where this will go," Wiesner said, referring to John Paul's world popularity. "I'm hopeful he'll do well," said Wiesner, who's met with the newly elected Pope about six times at the Vatican. "I always found him very personable ... extraordinarily so, and also someone who genuinely listens and who gives great attention and great respect to issues and things that are being asked of him," he said. "Another thing I've experienced, through other bishops working with him, is that he's very sensitive to delicate pastoral issues ... those that are not easily or readily resolved. I felt he was very compassionate and extra sensitive to those kind of issues." As a cardinal, Ratzinger had a reputation of being conservative, but Wiesner thinks that's fine. "A few years ago a prominent theologian from the University of Notre Dame -- and he's not a conservative theologian by any stretch of the imagination -- but he said `the very function of the magisterium is to conserve the truth, and hence, if it is being conservative, it is really carrying out its role.' I think the cardinal fits that role," Wiesner said. "He's a great theologian and, there's no doubt about it, he has a great, great mind." Wiesner will meet with Pope Benedict XVI when he goes to the Vatican in October for a special synod on the Eucharist. Wiesner is among four of Canada's 90 bishops to be selected as a delegate to represent bishops across the world. -- See related stories on page 29

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

BABIES AND BOOTCAMP -- Shauna Korogonas, right, leads a group of mothers and their babies in the Family Y's stroller bootcamp Tuesday morning at Massey Place. The class happens once a week until May 13 with a new session starting May 24.

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Liberals stress economy to start campaign
by GORDON HOEKSTRA Citizen staff Prince George's three B.C. Liberal candidates kicked off their election campaign Tuesday, positioning themselves as the drivers of an improving economy and the choice to keep the momentum moving. Using the startup of a new sawmill as a backdrop, incumbents Shirley Bond and Pat Bell and rookie candidate John Rustad pointed to the fact the unemployment rate is down to single digits, housing starts are up and companies are choosing to invest in the region. It's a sign the Prince George economy is gaining ground lost during the `90s under the NDP, the candidates said. "We wanted to start the race as a team by being with a company that is going to invest significant dollars, and they're going to tell you about the jobs going to be created in this part of the province," said Bond, running for re-election in Prince George-Mount Robson. "The good news is people are coming back to the North. Families are coming back, so that's exciting stuff." The three candidates staged their campaign launch at Gateway Forest Products, a sawmill under construction on Willow Cale Road, 15 kilometres south of the city. The owners hope to start operating in June and expect to employ 50 to 60 people when they expand to two shifts. Including office staff and logging and hauling jobs, the mill would create about 100 new jobs. Bell noted the Liberals took a lot of criticism that its forest policy reforms were only going to benefit big business. "Clearly that is not the case, and this today is a fantastic example of small businesses investing, developing jobs and developing opportunities," said Bell, who is running for re-election in Prince George North. Rustad said the main reason he decided to run was to ensure the region's economy keeps improving. The new mill sends a clear message the Prince George economy is back, he said. "The past four years have set the stage and now we're ready to really get rolling," said Rustad, who is running in Prince George-Omineca. -- See NEW on page 3

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2005

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INDEX
Annie's Mailbox . . . . . . . . .27 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Business . . . . . . . . . . . .21-23 City, B.C. . . . . . . . . . . .3,5,13 Classified . . . . . . . . . . .17-20 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Coming Events . . . . . . . . . . .2 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . .15 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6,7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-12 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14,29

Citizen staff photo

MLA Shirley Bond, along with MLA Pat Bell and Liberal candidate John Rustad, left, spoke to the media Tuesday at Gateway Forest Products.

Candidates hit the ground running in ridings
by MARK NIELSEN Citizen staff Prince George's three New Democratic Party candidates started the provincial election campaign by spending the weekend in the rural areas of their respective constituencies. Prince George North candidate Deborah Poff was in Mackenzie, Prince George-Omineca candidate Chuck Fraser was in Fort St. James and Prince George-Mount Robson candidate Wayne Mills was in McBride and Valemount. "Everybody matters, including everyone in the outlying communities," said Mills. A railcar shortage was prime among the concerns Fraser encountered in Fort St. James, which he said hasn't helped gloss over the hard feelings created by the B.C. Rail deal. "The whole B.C. Rail scandal keeps coming up everywhere you turn around mainly because it was a broken campaign promise," he said, alluding to Premier Gordon Campbell's promise not to sell or privatize the Crown corporation. "There is such a lack of trust," he said. "People feel lied to or betrayed after this last four years of broken promises." Mills said the B.C. Rail deal may lead voters to wonder what's next -- the sale of B.C. Hydro or ICBC. Poff said she heard not only from a lot of people who are solid NDPers but also from many who may vote for the party for the first time because they no longer trust the Liberals to live up to their promises. "I think you've got a large, undecided swing vote that will be very interesting to watch in the next month," she said. Independent Paul Nettleton started off his campaign to steal away Prince George-Mount Robson from Liberal incumbent Shirley Bond with a splash. He showed up for his kickoff at a coffee shop riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle festooned with campaign balloons. "It's off to a fun start," he said. -- See OPPONENTS on page 3; more election stories on page 5
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