VATICAN CITY - Although 78 and seen by some as a transitional figure, Pope Benedict XVI moved quickly in the first month of his papacy, standing firm on the moral code for his flock while reaching out to Jews and other non-Catholics and seeking to break down a half-century-old barrier with China.

When he was elected as pope April 19 in one of the shortest conclaves in modern history, there were questions of how the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, seen as a severe guardian of church orthodoxy, would fill the shoes of his crowd-pleasing predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

His first appearances in papal white seemed to dispel the doubts.

During his general audience last week, Benedict spoke in a half-dozen languages, including reading a greeting to pilgrims in John Paul's native Polish noting it would have been the "unforgettable pontiff's" 85th birthday.

"He intends to make a dynamic mark," Vatican expert and papal biographer Marco Politi said of Benedict. "The cardinals made a prestigious choice."

For Roman Catholics, the new pope was expected to maintain the Vatican's firm opposition to abortion, euthanasia, gay marriage and women priests, making clear that changes on those issues are out of the question.

On that line, Benedict selected San Francisco Archbishop William Levada to fill the job Ratzinger held for 24 years - prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. The choice gives new power to a champion of church doctrine who has spoken out against same-sex marriages while leading Roman Catholics in a city with a vibrant gay community.

The German pope, who acknowledged that he served in the Hitler Youth as a teenager during World War II, sought to reassure Jews that he intended to continue John Paul's commitment to close relations. He personally invited Rome's chief rabbi to his installation, sent a message for the 90th birthday of a former Rome rabbi and accepted an invitation to visit the synagogue in Cologne, Germany, during a visit to his homeland for World Youth Day in August.

"It is a really significant gesture for a German pope to do that," Politi said of the visit to a synagogue that was rebuilt after being destroyed in the Nazi persecution of Jews.

One of Benedict's chief goals is improving relations with other Christians, particularly the Orthodox, who are worried over inroads the Catholic Church has been making in traditionally Orthodox lands since the fall of the Soviet Union. This is particularly true in Russia, where church leaders blocked a visit by John Paul.

Benedict issued greetings for the Orthodox Easter in Greek, speaking from his apartment window. While greeting Russian Catholics who are hoping he can make a visit, he used the opportunity during his general audience Wednesday to give a special blessing to "your beloved homeland."

The pope also sent a veiled message to China , inviting countries that don't have diplomatic relations with the Vatican to establish ties.

Beijing's communist government broke ties with the Vatican in 1951, and refuses to have contact with governments - like the Vatican - that have official relations with Taiwan. Roman Catholic churches in China are run by a government-sanctioned group that recognizes the pope as a spiritual leader but has no formal relations with the Vatican and appoints its own priests and bishops.

"It seems he has a certain desire to open up ... a certain openness to arrive at solutions for conflicts through dialogue," Cardinal Pio Laghi, a Vatican diplomatic troubleshooter, said of the pope.