This is from the IHT: http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/04/20/news/cardinals.html
................... VATICAN CITY Mischievous headline writers called him the Panzer Cardinal. But maybe the Steamroller Cardinal would be more apt. ................... Joseph Ratzinger of Germany became Pope Benedict XVI in rapid fashion, rushing to election by a scant four votes over less than 24 hours in conclave. How it happened began to emerge Wednesday once the cardinals who chose him left the secret gathering and were no longer bound by a gag order imposed by Ratzinger the week before it started. It was, several cardinals said, his brilliant performance in the weeks leading up to the conclave that helped make his election more probable than had been expected, several cardinals said Wednesday. His deep knowledge of the Vatican bureaucracy, linguistic ability and intellectual heft also played important roles, the cardinals said in interviews and news conferences. Ratzinger was widely believed to be a leading vote-getter going in, but was thought by some Vatican analysts and prelates to have only a modest chance of election. His age, 78, and reputation for divisiveness were blamed. Most thought he would swing his votes to a fellow conservative. But the cardinals defied those expectations. In picking Ratzinger, they were clearly drawn to his defense of traditional Roman Catholic doctrine in the face of what he called the "dictatorship of relativism," or shifting winds of belief in a secular society, during the Mass that opened the conclave on Monday. His choice also indicated that they believed shoring up the fundamentals of the faith was a main priority, despite extensive discussion about the needs of the church in Latin America and elsewhere outside Europe. But it was also his dignified celebration of John Paul's funeral Mass on April 8; his guiding hand in the cardinals' daily meetings during the interregnum, or period between popes; and the preconclave Mass that helped to convince the cardinals. Ratzinger fulfilled those roles by virtue of his position as dean of the college. "When one keeps in mind the way in which Cardinal Ratzinger led the funeral mass and also the way he led the cardinals' college when they had their meetings," said Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier of South Africa, "I think he showed great leadership quality, which must obviously have influenced what people thought about him." Napier said many of the 115 cardinal electors were well aware of Ratzinger's reputation as a hard-line corrector of error, or may even have seen it up close. But in recent weeks they had a chance to experience his "gently humble" aspect, as well as his willingness to work with other cardinals in a collegial way, he said. "Probably many of us did not know that side of Cardinal Ratzinger," the South African prelate said. "That's a side of his character that the job he was doing before did not allow much scope to." Under John Paul, Ratzinger was prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith for nearly 25 years, in effect serving as the guardian of orthodoxy. He had broad authority to punish errant theologians and to rule on many aspects of church life. Cardinal Rosalio Castillo Lara of Venezuela agreed that Benedict's performance was critical. "He did it very well, with great serenity, much tact and also much humility," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper La Stampa in Turin. Benedict's abilities in English, French and Italian and experience in the Curia helped. And the fact that he was one of only three cardinal electors chosen by Pope Paul VI (John Paul II chose the rest) gave him "great credit before the world," he said. Exactly how Benedict came to be elected is, naturally, a secret, given the strict oaths to keep the proceedings private that had been demanded by John Paul. Cardinals who spoke to reporters afterward stuck by their oath. "You can deduce that we were convinced that he was the man God had indicated to us," said Cardinal Christoph Scho"nborn. But comments by cardinals before the conclave and by their aides, analysis by papal historians, and reports by astute Italian "vaticanisti," or Vatican news specialists, can give some hints about what happened inside the Sistine Chapel, where the cardinals were locked in Monday afternoon with Michelangelo's frescoes and the task of electing a spiritual leader for 1.1 billion Catholics. Most agreed that Ratzinger entered the conclave as the man with the most support - perhaps 30 to 50 votes out of the necessary two-thirds, or 77. During the first vote Monday night, it must have become clear that his position was strong enough to be a viable candidacy. Two ballots on Tuesday morning sealed the deal, and he was elected on the fourth. "That is certainly a very evident sign of great concord and agreement about what God's will indicated to us," Scho"nborn said. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, archbishop of Westminster, said he was "not altogether surprised" by the election of Benedict. "I think everyone knew that, of those who might be created pope, he who was formerly Cardinal Ratzinger was a very strong candidate, notwithstanding age or anything else." Murphy-O'Connor gave some insight into how the votes flowed. "You say, 'For the good of the church, this man seems to be the one that most of the cardinals want,"' he said. "If a cardinal has another view, he would say, 'Maybe they are right, and for the unity of the church and what I see is right, I will maybe change my vote and vote for him."' Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said at a news conference that the choice "was clear almost from the beginning." A more detailed analysis is almost impossible to present with any certainty, but that did not stop the Vatican analysts Several said that the more progressive opposition to Ratzinger lacked unity and, seeing his strength, they wanted to avoid a drawn-out conclave that would have signaled a divided church. Marco Politi of La Repubblica newspaper suggested that support had been coalescing around Ratzinger as early as Christmas, given the sense that John Paul's health was taking a serious turn for the worse. Going into the conclave, he had active help in mustering votes from powerful cardinals of the Roman Curia in charge of major departments, including Dari'o Castrillo'n Hoyos, Alfonso Lo'pez Trujillo and Julia'n Herranz, a member of Opus Dei. Giovanni Battista Re, Crescenzio Sepe and Angelo Sodano were also mentioned as Ratzinger backers, perhaps in the second round Several of these cardinals may have done some active campaigning Monday night, after the first ballot, Corriere della Sera wrote. Schönborn may also have helped his candidacy. He is another Ratzinger follower and, as archbishop of Vienna, a prelate with strong East European contacts. The tipping point came, Politi wrote, when two crucial Italians - Camillo Ruini, John Paul's longtime vicar of Rome, and Angelo Scola, the patriarch of Venice who had often been mentioned as a candidate - threw their support to Cardinal Ratzinger. Scola had worked in Ratzinger's congregation. The prospect of a drawn-out battle most likely scared off the opposition, and their leader, Carlo Maria Martini, sent his votes to Ratzinger. Cardinal Martini may have had an inkling of what was ahead. On the weekend before the conclave, a priest who had seen him said he appeared to be distressed. During the balloting, the progress of Benedict's candidacy was apparent because votes were read out loud. Sometime late Tuesday afternoon, probably between 5 and 5:30, he reached the 77 needed for election. The cardinals gasped, and then clapped, Murphy-O'Connor said. Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Germany burst into tears, he told The Associated Press. The new pope had his head bowed, and was probably praying. "He couldn't have been unaware," Murphy-O'Connor said, "that this was quite likely to happen."