The election of German conservative Joseph Ratzinger to succeed John Paul II as supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church elicited a decidedly mixed reaction around the world today, not least from his elder brother back home in Bavaria.

"I'm not happy and I'm not also proud," said Georg Ratzinger of his brother's elevation. "I had hoped that this cup would pass him by."

As the Vatican's chief doctrinal enforcer for more than 20 years and John Paul's closest ideological ally, the new Pope Benedict XVI has had more than enough time to make enemies of reformers within the Church. His unwavering stance on issues such as homosexuality and condom use earned him the soubriquet "Cardinal No".

Predictably, gay rights campaigners were angered by his elevation. Peter Tatchell, the UK activist, said: "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."

Desmond Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town and Nobel Peace laureate who had called for an African pope, joined the criticism, describing the new pope as a rigid conservative whom he would not have chosen. "And we, we hope, we hope very, very much that sitting on the papal throne will have the effect of easing the rigidities," he said.

But Georg Ratzinger, an 81-year-old who was ordained a priest alongside his brother 54 years ago, was more concerned for his brother's health.

"A job that is so difficult is not good for a 78-year-old man," he told reporters outside his home in Regensburg, north of Munich. "They should choose a man for a job like this who is young and resilient. For every pope, it is a hard time because he has to make difficult decisions - he has to work with many people and there are many wishes he has to fulfill.

Benedict XVI, the oldest pope elected since Clement XII in 1730, has no apparent history of chronic health problems but has reportedly been hospitalised at least twice since the early 1990s. During the conclave, his brother said he had treated his brother’s candidacy for pope philosophically, turning to the Bible story of Jesus imploring God ahead of his crucifixion to "let this cup pass from me."

For the most part, the world's political leaders were only too happy to congratulate the new pope, who was chosen by the conclave of cardinals on the fourth round of voting.

"He is a man of great wisdom and knowledge," said President Bush. Recalling his homily to the late John Paul, he added: "His words touched our hearts and the hearts of millions."

"I hope the new pope can help to bring harmony between the two worlds (of Islam and Christianity)," added President Musharraf of Pakistan.

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