After all, they said, he worked with Pope John Paul II for years. They were bosom buddies. They couldn't be TOO different.

At Christ the King Catholic Church and School in south Tampa, students and office workers gathered around TV sets to watch the historic announcement. When finally the new pope's name was revealed, a loud cheer went up throughout the school.

Church officials quickly arranged a night Mass to celebrate.

Deacon Bill Diaz called Ratzinger ``more traditional'' but said he accepted the choice of whomever ``the Holy Spirit has chosen to lead his church.''

People leaving services at Sacred Heart Catholic Church noted the new pope worked closely with John Paul II, so his approach should be similar.

``He will stand for what Pope John Paul stood for his whole life,'' said Michelle Eastman of Tampa.

She doesn't want Pope Benedict XVI to bend to Catholics who want priests to marry and women to join the church hierarchy.

Although he may have the same philosophy as Pope John Paul II, some Catholics said they don't anticipate Pope Benedict XVI will have the same appeal and charisma.

``Never in history has there been a Holy Father like'' John Paul, said Enrique Puccio, 55, of Tampa. ``I don't think there will ever be one like him.''

But Bishop Robert Lynch, leader of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, speculated the new pope may have been chosen in part because of his age.

``My guess is they wanted someone with the same image'' as Pope John Paul II, he said at St. Paul Catholic Church in Carrollwood, where he presided over a nearly packed celebration Mass.

`'This new pope deeply believes in tradition, and the job often changes the position.''

Americans May Be Disappointed

Monsignor Frank Mouch, though, was surprised by the cardinals' choice.

Mouch, 72, who teaches at Saint Leo College in Pasco County, said he was ``kind of hoping the cardinals would go to Central or South America, where the largest concentrations of Catholics live.''

They may have been looking for a ``transitional'' pope, he observed, noting that Pope Benedict XVI is 78. A pope of advanced years would presumably have a short tenure, allowing the College of Cardinals some time to think, pray and talk about the right man for a longer reign.

But while the cardinals may consider him transitional, Pope Benedict may not think of himself that way, Mouch said. In fact, he may try to accomplish a lot. And that may make many American Catholics - including priests - unhappy. They wanted someone less conservative, someone willing to change to deal with modern problems, Mouch said.

At St. Joseph Catholic Church in Zephyrhills, the Rev. John Hays was celebratory. He has an autographed picture of Ratzinger.

``I think he will be a force of unity,'' said Hays, 37.

Although more subdued than his predecessor, he, too, is committed to youth and ``has his finger on the pulse of the modern world.'' Hays expects the new pope, who speaks many languages, to travel frequently and work with many nations.

A Point Of German Pride

The choice of a German- born pope satisfied even some native Poles.

The Rev. Edward Wal, 51, of St. Cecelia's Catholic Church in Clearwater, noted Ratzinger and John Paul II shared a strong bond, having worked together more than 20 years.

``I think he will guide the church in the best way he can,'' Wall said. ``We hope he'll have some years in the church.''

The Rev. Joseph Paek, a South Korean priest at St. Cecelia's, was overjoyed with the choice.

``If you ask me if he is a good leader for Jesus Christ. I say, Amen!''

Others in Tampa didn't have to be Catholic to celebrate Pope Benedict. Mike Jacobi, a Lutheran, moved to the United States from Munich in 1980. The owner of the Schnitzelhaus restaurant in northwest Tampa has followed Ratzinger's career for 40 years, ever since rumors began that Ratzinger's intellect could lead him to the papacy.

The new pope ``certainly gives a boost to the German church,'' he said, but don't look for any pope-related specials at Schnitzelhaus.

``We don't have a pope table here,'' he said.

Schiller's German Delicatessen in south Tampa won't be offering specials, either, although owner Elisabeth Trunk said it's wonderful to have a countryman as pope.

Trunk, a Lutheran raised in Kleinheubach, Germany, said then-Cardinal Ratzinger often visited her hometown.

``From just across the street, he waved to us,'' she said.

Sophie-Maria Richards, also raised in Germany, hopes the new pope is open-minded - ``we need somebody like that in our time and age.''

But, ``to me, nationality has nothing to do with it,'' she said. ``It shouldn't be thrown out there. It should just be a good person doing a good job.''

Bishop Robert Lynch, leader of the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, has met Ratzinger several times.

``I think the spirit has chosen for us a wise and devoted servant,'' Lynch told the crowd at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Tampa.

He said Ratzinger showed four traits that he believed would make him a good pope: intelligence, good listening skills, pastoral sensitivity and compassion.

Editor Rick Barry, photographer Jay Nolan, and reporters Angela Delgado, Julia Ferrante, Jose Patino Girona, Josh Poltilove and Michael H. Samuels contributed to this report.