WASHINGTON – President Bush hailed the newly chosen Pope Benedict XVI as a “man of great wisdom,” but his election drew mixed political reactions yesterday.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s condemnation of moral relativism was applauded by conservatives, while liberals questioned whether the hard-line theologian could attract new members to the church, and expressed concerns about his childhood in Nazi Germany.

“He’s a man who serves the Lord,” Mr. Bush said. “We join with our fellow citizens and millions around the world who pray for continued strength and wisdom as his holiness leads the Catholic church.”

Senator Schumer wished the new pope “the strength, courage, and wisdom to carry on the great traditions set by his predecessor.”

“New Yorkers of all faiths pray for his success,” he said.

Senator Clinton did not comment.

Rep. Jose Serrano, a Democrat of the Bronx, was among those who expressed ambivalence about where the pope would lead the church.

“As a Catholic, I am excited by the fact that we have a new pope and I want to give him benefit of the doubt,” Mr. Serrano said. “But I am concerned that for my church to grow, to pick up losses in terms of membership and attract folks to the priesthood, it needs to open up in ways I suspect this pope will not allow,” he said, citing the ban on married and female priests.

The congressman said he was also concerned about Cardinal Ratzinger’s admitted past membership in the Hitler Youth organization. “What message does that send to the world, especially to the Jewish community?” he asked.

The World Jewish Congress, however, congratulated the new pope.

The chairman of the congress, Rabbi Israel Singer, praised him as the Vatican’s “master theologian” who was responsible for the philosophical “underpinnings” of the dialogue between Catholics and Jews under Pope John Paul II, which included an apology for the inaction of Catholics during the Holocaust and the statement that anti-Semitism is a sin.

Jews around the world should “feel comfortable” with the new pope and continue the dialogue, Rabbi Singer said. As for his brief membership in Hitler Youth, the rabbi said it was “forced” and “gave him greater awareness of what anti-Semitism is.”

Rep. Vito Fossella, a Republican of Staten Island, said Americans should “give the new pope the benefit of the doubt.”

“Many people didn’t know what to expect of John Paul II, and he turned out pretty well,” he said.

Mr. Fossella said one of the new pope’s most important roles “is to sustain the doctrine and beliefs of the Catholic church, which the last pope did, and I hope this one does as well.”

Rep. Peter King, a Republican of Long Island, while admitting that political analogies could be dangerous in ecclesiastical matters, said the new pope “could be the theological equivalent of a neo-con.”

“He was a very strong advocate of Vatican II and implementing reforms, and was shocked by student revolts and left-wing movements of the 1960s, and that caused him to become more conservative,” said Mr. King.

Mr. King said he admired the cardinal for speaking out against moral relativism and materialism in modern society, but he disagreed with his position against contraception.

“As a Catholic, you believe it’s God’s will,” he said of the pick.

Around the world, reactions were also mixed.

The chancellor of Germany, Gerhard Schroeder, said the choice is “a great honor for Germany … I think he will be a worthy successor to Pope John Paul II.”

“It seems that he is too conservative,” countered Jurandir Arauj of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops, according to the Reuters news agency. “Hopefully, the Holy Spirit can help him change.”

Meanwhile, the secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, congratulated the new pope, who he said, “brings a wealth of experience to this exalted office.”

The selection roused emotional responses from activists on both sides of social issues that have divided some American Catholics, including church tenets against abortion and homosexuality, as well as the church’s response to cases of child sexual abuse by priests.

“Ratzinger is a polarizing figure to many, who seems to prefer combativeness to compromise and compassion. Still, we wish him well,” a spokeswoman for the U.S. Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, Mary Grant, said. “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,'” she added.

Anti-abortion activists were elated by the choice. “Today is a day filled with hope and joy,” the American Life League’s president, Judie Brown, said.

“We thankfully recognize the staunch pro-life commitment of Cardinal Ratzinger during the whole of his episcopacy and we are confident that as Pope Benedict XVI he will continue his strong defense of the church’s teaching on the sanctity of human life,” the president of Human Life International, Father Thomas Euteneuer, said.

In contrast, the group Catholics for a Free Choice expressed “deep concern” that the election of Cardinal Ratzinger as pope “is a strong indication of continued dissension within the church.”

An openly gay Catholic commentator, Andrew Sullivan, wrote that with the selection of the German cardinal, “the Catholic church accelerates its turn toward authoritarianism, hostility to modernity, assertion of papal supremacy, and quashing of internal debate and dissent.”