Pakistan has welcomed the election of Joseph Ratzinger as the new head of the Vatican that represents nearing 1.1 billion Roman Catholic followers in the Christendom. The official felicitation had been conveyed to Pope Benedict XVI through a message relayed to Pakistani Ambassador at Bern who is concurrently accredited to Vatican also. A Foreign Office spokesman told in his Wednesday briefing session that Islamabad looked forward to strengthening of existing cordial relations between Pakistan and Vatican.