Here are some key quotes of reaction from around the world to the election of German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new Pope, Benedict XVI.

This is a great honour for Germany.

In Pope Benedict XVI, a Pope has been chosen who knows the world Church like no one else. He is a great, world-renowned theologian. Pope Benedict XVI is a worthy successor to Pope John Paul II.

I congratulate him on behalf of the government and all Germans.

His Holiness brings a wealth of experience to this exalted office. The United Nations and the Holy See share a strong commitment to peace, social justice, human dignity, religious freedom and mutual respect among the world's religions.

The secretary general looks forward to the contributions His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will make in strengthening those values.

He is a man of great wisdom and knowledge. He is a man who serves the Lord.

We remember well a sermon at the Pope's funeral in Rome. His words touched our hearts and the hearts of millions. We join with our fellow citizens and millions around the world who pray for continuous strength and wisdom.

I send Pope Benedict XVI my warmest congratulations and sincere good wishes for the high mission that has just been entrusted on the head of the Catholic Church.

I certainly express the feelings of all Italians, and am particularly delighted, when I present Your Holiness with the warm and respectful homage of the Italian government.

I offer Your Holiness, on the assumption of your high office, congratulations and my very best wishes for the success of your pontificate. I look forward to continuing our co-operation with the Holy See on issues of international importance such as Africa and development.

Please receive in the name of the Spanish government and the people of Spain our warmest congratulations for your election as Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church and my best wishes for the Papacy which you begin today.

I express my sincere happiness to the Catholic Church for the choice of the new pope. [I hope] the Pope continues with the ecumenical spirit [of John Paul II].

We are willing to improve the relationship between China and the Vatican on the basis of two principles. One is that Joseph Ratzinger should break off the so-called diplomatic relationship with Taiwan... The second is that Ratzinger should not interfere in internal Chinese affairs. We hope that with a new Pope, the Vatican can create conditions to improve China-Vatican relations.

Pope Benedict XVI assumes leadership at a critical time in which the world's collective wisdom and leadership including that of the religious community is most important to face up to challenges of deepening poverty and under-development afflicting many people of the world.

May your acceptance of this tremendous burden of service bear fruit in our world. May God give you strength for these new cares.

The election of Cardinal Ratzinger as the new Pope is a disaster for women, gay people and liberal humanitarian values.

He represents the hardline, fundamentalist strand of Catholicism, opposing condoms to prevent the spread of HIV, rejecting women's rights, denouncing fertility treatment for childless couples and endorsing state-sanctioned discrimination against gay people.

He has been portrayed too often as a bogeyman and as a "Panzer Cardinal" by his opponents. It is very clear the cardinals chose a safe transition... a man with whom they can think: "We can go home safely, the shop in Rome is in good hands."

We congratulate his Holiness and wish him every success. We hope the strong and historic relations between Palestine and the Vatican will be as strong as ever and that the Vatican's support for a just peace in the Holy Land will continue.

The foreign minister expresses his hope that this Pope, considering his historical experience, will be especially committed to an uncompromising fight against anti-Semitism.

It will be difficult to like this pope, because of his positions on the church and on the world.

This is a triumph for the dogmatic, capitalist right. For me, it is the worst choice they could have made. It combines the worst of John Paul II's papacy without its better characteristics which were his charisma and political skills.

It looks like this particular cardinal will continue with the line on contraception, condoms, and HIV prevention that Pope John Paul II had.

It's regrettable because that will impact so terribly on the lives of millions of people, particularly in the developing world.

We welcome the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new Pope and hope he will continue the policies of his predecessor in calling for peace and tolerance between religions. We also hope we would continue to call for giving the Palestinian people its right to establish its own state.

We welcome the new Pope and wish him every success in the daunting challenges that lie ahead.

...We hope that he will continue along the path of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II in working to enhance relations with the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

He is a person with lots of global knowledge, he is a person with lots of soul. He is a person who knows the Church's problems, of the social problems in Brazil; he knows our reality.

In my name, and confident I express the opinion of the men and women who make up the prelature of Opus Dei, I guarantee Benedicto XVI full adherence to his person and his teachings: a profound communion.

Ratzinger is a polarising figure to many, who seems to prefer combativeness to compromise and compassion. Still, we wish him well.

It's ... crucial that the new pope follow the words and views of John Paul II who said 'there is no place in the priesthood for anyone who would harm the young'.