A new pope was chosen to lead the Catholic Church.
Cheers burst into cheers from several groups gathered in St. Peter's Square at 6:07 pm local time or 12:07 pm ET.
Shortly after the bell of St. Peter's Basilica rang, his election was confirmed additionally.
The name of the new pope will be announced later, when the top cardinal will say “Habemus Papam!” – Latin “We have a pope!” – from the Cathedral. The new pope's last name will then be read in Latin by the Cardinal, who will also reveal his chosen name.
The new pope is expected to make its first public appearance and bless you from the cathedral balcony.
The decision has been slightly more than two weeks since Pope Francis passed away on April 21.
Get the daily national news
Get news, politics, economics and current events titles delivered to your inbox every day.
During one session, the Cardinals were quarantined and confined to confidentiality, and they voted at least for the men they wanted to be the pope for two days.
To hold this position, the person selected must receive at least 89 votes, a two-thirds majority.
Until the white smoke on Thursday afternoon, only black smoke rolled out from the chimneys in local time and Thursday morning, indicating that there was no election to the Pope.
And more.
& Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
