Jorge Maria Bergoglio of Argentina is the new pope. “Habemus Papam”. It was not until the fourth vote and the second day of the conclave to choose the new pope. White smoke billowed above the Sistine Chapel at around 7 PM, signaling the election of a new pope by the 115 cardinal electors to succeed Benedict XVI.
To know his name, we will have to wait for the new leader of the Catholic Church to accept his position, a name chosen for him before the Protodeacon, French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, will make the official announcement (“Habemus Papam”). Then the new pope will go to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for his first Urbi et Orbi blessing. The election of the pope at the end of the first full day of the conclave, was faster than many thought it will be, in the absence of real favorite.
After a few moments of uncertainty, the crowd cheered at the smoke that was not a very distinct white to begin with. But a few moments later, the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica began to ring at random as on holidays, confirming the choice of a new pope whose name should not be known for at least a half-hour. Meanwhile, the crowd on the Saint-Pierre Square was singing, and jumping in the air, shouting “viva il papa” (Long live the Pope), repeatedly.
The two Italian cardinals Gianfranco Ravasi, 64, and especially Angelo Scola, 71, appeared regularly on the list of favorites. Brazilian Odilo Scherer, Archbishop of Sao Paulo, also seemed to be on the short list. He has the advantage of being a “non-European”. However, an Argentine cardinal is the first non-European leader of the Catholic Church in more than 1,000 years.
3:20 PM, EST: The new pope, cardinal Jorge Maria Bergoglio of Argentina, is expected to emerge any moment.
Crowds in Rome welcome 76-year-old Pope Francis I, the 266th Pope, elected today, March 13, 2013.
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