Catholics around the world greeted the election of Pope Francis with joy, celebration and prayer. The former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, Argentinian-born son of Italian immigrants, became the 266th successor to St. Peter on Wednesday during a rain-soaked Roman night.
He is the first Supreme Pontiff from the Americas and the Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires. He is also the first Jesuit to become Pope.
By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76 was elected the 266th pope and took the name Francis.
The election March 13 came on the first full day of the conclave on the conclave's fifth ballot. It was a surprisingly quick conclusion to a conclave that began with many plausible candidates and no clear favorite.
The Latin American pope, a Jesuit, was chosen by at least two-thirds of the 115 cardinals from 48 countries, who cast their ballots in secret in the Sistine Chapel.
His election was announced in Latin from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, to a massive crowd in the square below and millions watching around the world.
White smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney at 7:05 p.m. signaling that the cardinals had chosen a successor to retired Pope Benedict XVI. At 7:07 p.m., the bells of St. Peter's Basilica began pealing continuously to confirm the election.
An Unexpected Announcement
Pope Benedict XVI startled the world when he announced his retirement from the Papacy effective February 28, 2013.
In a church that measures its existence in millennia, Pope Benedict became one of fewer than nine Popes who have retired. (Historical records -- especially prior to the fifth century -- are not clear.) He is the first in nearly 600 years: Gregory XII resigned in 1415.
His Holiness stressed that the Church needs a Supreme Pontiff who can deal with a global Church facing a rapidly changing moral, ethical and technical culture:
"[I]n today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me," he said on Monday. (Read the full statement here.)