Habemus Papam!* (We have a new pope!)
It is Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina.
The new pope was born December 17, 1936, in Argentina. He is a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and was ordained in 1936.
He had been the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
He is the first South American pope.
White smoke billowed from the Vatican's Sistine Chapel at 1:05 this afternoon Central Time, indicating the papal conclave had made a selection.
The bells of St. Peter's then began ringing and the huge crowd in St. Peter's Square started cheering.
It was just more than an hour later that the new pope emerged from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.
One-hundred and 15 Roman Catholic Cardinals had locked themselves in the chapel on Tuesday to begin the secret process of selecting the new pontiff.
The selection was made on their third vote.
The new pontiff replaces Pope Benedict XVI, who served from 2005 to 2013, stepped down on February 28th. He is the first Pope in 600 years to do so.
*Habemus Papam! is the announcement given in Latin by the Cardinal Protodeacon, the senior Cardinal Deacon, upon the election of a new pope. The announcement is given from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Source: Wikipedia
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Rome - Pope Francis, the first non-European pontiff of the modern era, revealed himself to the world from a balcony at the Vatican on Wednesday.
Jorge Bergoglio, who served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, took the name Francis shortly after being elected by cardinals in what was apparently the fifth round of voting on the second day of the conclave.
"As you know, the duty of the conclave was to appoint a bishop of Rome," Francis told a cheering crowd of thousands packed into St. Peter's Square.
"It seems to me that my brother cardinals have chosen one who is from faraway. ... Here I am. I would like to thank you for your embrace."
Bergoglio, 76, is the first pope to take the name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, revered among Catholics for his work with the poor.
Francis did not follow tradition when greeting the 150,000 packed into St. Peter's Square. Rather than bless the crowd first, he asked them to pray for him.
"We have a pope who probably upset some people tonight by not following the formula," said Vatican spokesman the Rev. Tom Rosica, who interpreted the new pope's willingness to dispense with tradition as a sign that he will be willing to chart his own path in other ways.
As pope, Bergoglio takes the helm of a Catholic Church that has been rocked in recent years by sex abuse by priests, claims of corruption among the church hierarchy and a scandal surrounding the Vatican bank.
The new pontiff is considered a straight shooter who calls things as he sees them, and a follower of the church's most conservative wing.
As cardinal, he clashed with the government of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over his opposition to gay marriage and free distribution of contraceptives.
Pope of firsts
Bergoglio becomes the first pope who is Jesuit, a large religious order of priests and brothers in the Catholic Church, as well as the first pontiff from Latin America.
With its approximately 480 million adherents, Latin America is home to an overwhelming plurality of the world's Catholics. By choosing him, the cardinals sent a strong message about where the future of the church may lie.
According to a profile by CNN Vatican analyst John Allen and published by the National Catholic Reporter, Francis was born in Buenos Aires to an Italian immigrant father.
He is known for his simplicity. He chose to live in an apartment rather that the archbishop's palace, passed on a chauffeured limousine, took the bus to work and cooked his own meals, Allen wrote.
Francis has a reputation for being a voice for the poor.
World reacts
Word of the election of Pope Francis quickly spread around the globe, with everyone from U. N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to U.S. President Barack Obama offering congratulations.
"As the first pope from the Americas, his selection also speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world, and alongside millions of Hispanic Americans, those of us in the United States share the joy of this historic day," Obama said.
Ban said the new pope shares common goals with the United Nations, from the promotion of peace to social justice.
"We also share the conviction that we can only resolve the interconnected challenges of today's world through dialogue," he said.
Nowhere was the reaction to Bergoglio's selection as pope more surprising than in Latin America, with a plurality of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.
"I am truly still very surprised...not just that a Latino pope came out, but that he is an Argentinian from Buenos Aires," the Rev. Eduardo Mangiarotti told CNN en Espanol.
Calling Benedict
The new pope called his predecessor, Benedict XVI, after he was elected, Rosica said.
Francis participated in the conclave that elected Benedict in April 2005. He was widely reported to be a runner-up to Benedict in the election.
The cardinals will join Francis on Thursday evening for a Mass in the Sistine Chapel, and Francis will deliver the traditional Angelus blessing from the Vatican on Sunday, Rosica said.
Francis will be formally installed as pope at a Mass on Tuesday, according to the Vatican.
What's in a name?
Bergoglio's selection of the name of Pope Francis is "the most stunning" choice and "precedent shattering," Allen said. "The new pope is sending a signal that this will not be business as usual."
The name symbolizes "poverty, humility, simplicity and rebuilding the Catholic Church," Allen said.
St. Francis of Assisi was born in 1181 or 1182 the son of a rich Italian cloth merchant, according to the Vatican website.
After "a carefree adolescence and youth," Francis joined the military and was taken prisoner. He was freed after becoming ill, and when he returned to Assisi, Italy, a spiritual conversion began, and he abandoned his worldly lifestyle.
In a famous episode, Christ on the Cross came to life three times in the small Church of St. Damian and told him: "Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins," Pope Benedict XVI said, according to Vatican's website.
