MANILA - Presidents, religious leaders and many Roman Catholics welcomed Joseph Ratzinger's election as Pope Benedict XVI but Catholic liberals expressed disappointment, fearing there would be little reform under the new Pontiff.

Many of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics saw the German cardinal, chosen by a committee of his peers on Tuesday, representing continuity after he served as one of Pope John Paul II's closest aides and guardian of Church doctrine for nearly a quarter of a century.

"I believe this is going to be a reign of peace for all religions," said Lorenzo Gallegos, a Filipino doctor attending mass at a Manila church. "This has been in the scriptures we have been reading all along."

President Bush called Ratzinger "a man of great wisdom and knowledge."

"That a fellow countryman has become Pope fills us in Germany with special joy and also with a little pride," President Horst Koehler said of the first German Pontiff in 1,000 years.

But there was disappointment among those who had hoped a new Pope might relax the Church's views on issues such as divorce, female priests, homosexuality and contraception.

"Ratzinger is not the pope that we would ideally like," said Joelle Battestini, associate convener of the Australian group Ordination of Catholic Women.

Bernd Goehring, director of German ecumenical group Kirche von Unten, said the election was a catastrophe.

"We can expect no reform from him in the coming years." he said. "Even more people will turn their back on the Church."

Liberal Catholics doubted Ratzinger, 78, could a heal a Church racked by disillusionment and tarnished by sex abuse scandals among the clergy.

But Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, leader of the world's 70 million Anglicans, praised Ratzinger as a theologian of great stature and said he looked forward to working with him.

"Cardinal Ratzinger already has shown a profound commitment to advancing Catholic-Jewish relations," said Rabbi David Rosen, the American Jewish Committee's international director of interreligious affairs.

Others among the faithful said Ratzinger would provide strong leadership but lacked the popular charisma of John Paul.

President Jacques Chirac sent his sincerest wishes, adding that France would pursue its dialogue with the Vatican to promote peace and mutual respect among the world's religions.

"May this be the seed for ending the conflicts that divide us," said Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Conservative Course

Church leaders in Asia's largest Catholic country had made no secret of wanting the new Pope to stay the conservative course of John Paul, who had the deep affection of millions of Filipinos after his two visits.

Jewish leaders said they believed Ratzinger would build on the strides made by John Paul in helping repair centuries of mistrust between the two monotheistic faiths.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was quoted by aide Nabil Abu Rdainah as saying he hoped the new pope would continue the Vatican's support for a just peace in the Holy Land.

In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, a senior figure in the 40-million member Islamic group Nadhlatul Ulama hoped Ratzinger's close ties to the late pope would mean greater harmony for the world's religions.

"I hope the new Pope would carry the same spirit of peace and inter-religious harmony as Pope John Paul II...I think he has been dealing with theological issues for quite a long time, and he is very familiar with the visions brought by Pope John Paul II," said Masduki Baidlowi, who is also a member of parliament.

Elsewhere, there was discontent.

Mary Grant of the U.S. group Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said the new Pope "seems to prefer combativeness to compromise and compassion."

In 2000, Ratzinger branded other Christian churches as deficient, calling Lutherans "absurd" when they complained.

In Latin America, which had hoped one of their own would be elected Pope this time, the choice may be seen as divisive.

Ratzinger had disciplined Latin American priests who backed Marxist-influenced "liberation theology" to fight against social injustice and military regimes in the 1970s and 1980s.

"This is a triumph for the dogmatic, capitalist right," said Argentine theologian Ruben Dri, a professor at the University of Buenos Aires.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, the world's biggest Catholic country, congratulated the new Pope and voiced hope he would promote "peace and social justice at the same time as reviving the spiritual and moral values of the Church."

Many homosexuals were outraged at the choice of Ratzinger, who has denounced homosexuality and gay marriage.

"The princes of the Roman Catholic Church elected as Pope a man whose record has been one of unrelenting, venomous hatred for gay people," said Matt Foreman of National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in the United States.

While Ratzinger may not appear to have the same charisma as John Paul, his brother said he was a very normal person and easy to get along with.

Speaking before the conclave of cardinals, Georg Ratzinger said he thought his brother might just be too old for the job.