Pope Francis speaks from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who chose the name of Francis, is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. — AP VATICAN CITY — Argentine Jorge Bergoglio has been elected pope, the first ever from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium. He chose the name Pope Francis. After announcing "Habemus Papam" — "We have a pope!" — a cardinal standing on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday revealed the identity of the new pontiff, using his Latin name. Bergoglio had reportedly finished second in the 2005 conclave that produced Benedict XVI ? who last month became the first pope to resign in 600 years. The 76-year-old archbishop of Buenos Aires has spent nearly his entire career at home in Argentina, overseeing churches and shoe-leather priests. A stunned-looking Bergoglio shyly waved to the crowd of tens of thousands of people who gathered in St. Peter's Square, marveling that the cardinals had had to look to "the end of the earth" to find a bishop of Rome. He asked for prayers for himself, and for retired Pope Benedict XVI, whose stunning resignation paved the way for the tumultuous conclave that brought the first Jesuit to the papacy. He called Wednesday for "brotherhood" in the Roman Catholic Church. The cardinal electors overcame deep divisions to select the 266th pontiff in a remarkably fast conclave. Bergoglio had reportedly finished second in the 2005 conclave that produced Benedict ? who last month became the first pope to resign in 600 years. After announcing "Habemus Papum" — "We have a pope!" — a cardinal standing on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday revealed the identity of the new pontiff, using his Latin name. The 76-year-old archbishop of Buenos Aires has spent nearly his entire career at home in Argentina. Tens of thousands of people who braved cold rain to watch the smokestack atop the Sistine Chapel jumped in joy when white smoke poured out a few minutes past 7 p.m., many shouting "Habemus Papam!" or "We have a pope!" ? as the bells of St. Peter's Basilica and churches across Rome pealed. Chants of "Long live the pope!" arose from the throngs of faithful, many with tears in their eyes. Crowds went wild as the Vatican and Italian military bands marched through the square and up the steps of the basilica, followed by Swiss Guards in silver helmets and full regalia. They played the introduction to the Vatican and Italian anthems and the crowd, which numbered at least 50,000, joined in, waving flags from countries around the world. "I can't explain how happy I am right down," said Ben Canete, a 32-year-old Filipino, jumping up and down in excitement. Elected on the fifth ballot, Francis was chosen in one of the fastest conclaves in years, remarkable given there was no clear front-runner going into the vote and that the church had been in turmoil following the upheaval unleashed by Pope Benedict XVI's surprise resignation. A winner must receive 77 votes, or two-thirds of the 115, to be named pope. For comparison's sake, Benedict was elected on the fourth ballot in 2005 ? but he was the clear front-runner going into the vote. Pope John Paul II was elected on the eighth ballot in 1978 to become the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. Patrizia Rizzo ran down the main boulevard to the piazza with her two children as soon as she heard the news on the car radio. "I parked the car ... and dashed to the square, she said. "It's so exciting, as Romans we had to come." Pope Francis I is the first ever from the Americas, an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernized Argentina's conservative Catholic church. Known until Wednesday as Jorge Bergoglio, is known as a humble man who denied himself the luxuries that previous Buenos Aires cardinals enjoyed. Groups of supporters waved Argentine flags in St. Peter's Square as Francis, wearing simple white robes, made his first public appearance as pope. "Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening," he said before making a reference to his roots in Latin America, which accounts for about 40 percent of the world's Roman Catholics . Bergoglio often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited the slums that ring Argentina's capital. He considers social outreach, rather than doctrinal battles, to be the essential business of the church. He accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy. Bergoglio himself felt most comfortable taking a very low profile, and his personal style was the antithesis of Vatican splendor. "It's a very curious thing: When bishops meet, he always wants to sit in the back rows. This sense of humility is very well seen in Rome," authorized biographer Sergio Rubin said before the 2013 conclave to choose Benedict's successor. Benedict's eight-year papacy was riven by scandals and the new pope will face immediate challenges — stamp his authority on the Vatican machinery and try to bring back a Catholic flock that is deserting churches across the West. Benedict's style was often seen as too academic and he was never as popular as his predecessor. The 85-year-old Benedict broke with tradition, becoming the first pontiff to resign since the Middle Ages. He has said he will retire to a former nunnery inside the Vatican ? an unprecedented and delicate situation for the Church. In one of his last acts as pope, he issued a decree allowing cardinals to bring forward the date of a conclave in cases of papal resignation — a move seen by many as potentially setting a precedent for future ageing pontiffs. The scandal of hushed-up sexual abuses of children by pedophile priests going back decades has also cast its shadow over the conclave. The cardinals had called for better communicator, able to reach out particularly to young people. Latin Americans are reacting with joy to news of the first pope from the hemisphere. Near the cathedral in Argentina's capital, Martha Ruiz burst into tears of emotion at news that her cardinal Mario Bergoglio has been named pope. She says the news "is incredible." Bergoglio has taken the name Francis I. At the St. Francis of Assisi church in the colonial Old San Juan district in Puerto Rico, church secretary Antonia Veloz exchanged jubilant high-fives with the priest. Earlier, when the announcement was made in Rome, reactions were swift. "I didn't think I would cry but I guess the adrenalin's taking over!" said Rebecca Hine, a student from Canada who had waited two days in the rain. "I'm overjoyed!" said a tearful Veronica, a nun from Botswana. "I'm so emotional I can hardly speak!" A breathless Ruud, a 31-year-old Dutch tourist, said: "We were having dinner nearby and heard a roar, and raced here to see for ourselves." The conclave might have been quick — but not quick enough for some newspaper editors in Europe, who bemoaned the late hour as they tried to ready their next day's editions. As the wait for the next pontiff to appear on the balcony dragged on, Archie Bland, deputy editor of The Independent in London, tweeted: "God clearly punishing newspapers with the timing here. Was the Internet not enough?" Peter Spiegel, Brussels bureau chief for the Financial Times, echoed Bland's sentiments. "Can someone please tell the new pope the (at)FT is about to miss its 1st European deadline? (hash)HurryUp" he tweeted. In St. Peter's Square, there was a fleeting moment of indecision when the first plumes of smoke appeared from the Vatican chimney. Some cried out that it was black, signifying that no decision was made by the conclave. Then, seconds later under a steady rain, it became clear that white smoke was pouring out. Wild cheering erupted in the square. "Oh no, it's black!" said an Italian nun, Sister Eugenia. "It's white! It's white!' Every time a new pontiff is chosen in a conclave, a senior cardinal goes up to him and asks: "And by what name do want to be called?" The question is popped immediately, while all electors are still locked in the Sistine chapel. Shortly after, the senior cardinal reads out the pontifical name in Latin from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica as part of the "Habemus Papam" — "We have a pope" — formula that proclaims the election of a new pope. The new pope can't move into the papal apartment just yet. He will remain with the cardinals at the Vatican's Santa Marta hotel, an impersonal modern hotel on the edge of the Vatican gardens where they have been sequestered since the beginning of the conclave. He will spend his first night as pontiff in a room that features a bed with a dark wood headboard, as well as a sitting area and a study. The new pope is expected to stay there for a few weeks until the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace can be renovated. The apartment was sealed Feb. 28, just after Benedict resigned, and cannot be reopened until the new pope formally takes possession. The pope's new clothes were ready before he was. The family-owned Gammarelli tailor shop, which has dressed popes for two centuries, had three sets of vestments — in small, medium and large — prepared for the naming of the new pontiff. The papal outfits were on display in the window of the small wood-paneled store nestled in the shadow of the Pantheon, where the family moved in 1850 from the original founded just around the corner in 1798. They were delivered to the Vatican and left in a room next to the Sistine Chapel, ready for the new pope to change into his new clothes. The pre-made looks haven't always fit. In 1958, the rotund John XXIII appeared on the balcony with safety pins holding together the back of his cassock. On Wednesday it was a fairly quick decision to elect the new pope. In centuries past, conclaves dragged on for weeks and months, sometimes years. During a 13th-century conclave that stretched for weeks, a leading candidate died. These days the discussions are much quicker. The pope was chosen in five rounds over two days. The previous conclave that chose Benedict XVI went four rounds over two days before the Latin announcement rang out across St. Peter's Square from the basilica's balcony: "Habemus papam" — We have a pope! The longest conclave of the last century went on for 14 rounds over five days, and yielded Pius XI — in 1922. One thing is sure — the new pope will never truly know who voted for him. Cardinals used to sign their names to ballots, but stopped doing so "due to an old history of intrigues and tensions, when people used to fear the most serious reprisals for their choices," says Michael Bruter, who teaches political science at the London School of Economics. Even so, factions of cardinals will have made their views known during informal talks between votes. Romain Lachat, a political scientist at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, says the formation of coalitions — where voting cardinals slowly rally around a man who may only be their second or third choice — is inevitable. There is no formal process of elimination and cardinals can even vote for themselves — which may explain why conclaves often need more than one round of balloting to produce a pope. The ballots are tied together with needle and thread and are then placed in an iron stove. If the smoke coming out of the chimney is white — not black — it means there's a pope. The signal hasn't always been so clear. In 1958, damp straw didn't catch fire, and the smoke was white instead of black. After John Paul's death in 2005, the Vatican used special chemicals in an effort to make the color clear — with only limited success. If in doubt, the bells of St. Peter's Basilica also ring when a new pope has been chosen. — AP
