Argentina's Cardinal Bergoglio has been chosen as the 266th pope and the new leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.
He has chosen the name Pope Francis.
The new pope was announced by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran about an hour after the white smoke emerged and the bells rang. After the announcement, Bergoglio appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to the throngs of the cheering faithful.
The 76-year-old archbishop of Buenos Aires has spent nearly his entire career at home in Argentina, overseeing churches and shoe-leather priests. Bergoglio had reportedly finished second in the 2005 conclave that produced Benedict XVI.
He is known for modernizing an Argentine church that had been among the most conservative in Latin America. He has never lived in the ornate church mansion in Buenos Aires, instead preferring a simple bed in a downtown room heated by a small stove on frigid weekends. For years, he took public transportation around the city and cooked his own meals.
The conclave began Tuesday after Pope Benedict XVI resigned last month. Elected on the fifth ballot, Francis was chosen in one of the fastest conclaves in years.
Thousands of people packed St. Peter's Square in the rain and cold to witness history.
On average, it has taken about three days to choose a pope, but with no clear frontrunner going into the conclave and amid deep divisions within the church about what kind of leader should be picked, it was expected to take longer.
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