'Habemus Papam'! White smoke comes out of the Sistine Chapel chimney

At 3:08 pm EDT, the famous white smoke came out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating that a new Pope was elected. This means that of the 115 cardinals who have met since yesterday, March 12, two thirds have reached a consensus on who will lead the Catholic Church over the next few years.

Five Brazilian cardinals participated in the secret elections - Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis, Archbishop Odilo Scherer, Archbishop Geraldo Majella Agnelo, Archbishop Claudio Hummes and Archbishop Joao Braz of Aviz - and the successor of Benedict XVI should be announced approximately 45 minutes after the white smoke is visualized. by the oldest cardinal voter, the Frenchman Jean-Louis Tauran. Wait for updates!

Benedict XVI resigned his pontificate 13 days ago, saying he no longer had the strength to continue as Church leader. After only five votes, his successor has already been elected. And do you, the reader, have any guesses as to who the new Pope is?

[UPDATE]

The new Pope is Argentine

After much speculation - and much support from Brazilians - the Catholic Church has announced that the new Pope is 76-year-old Jorge Mario Bergoglio, an Argentine Jesuit Cardinal and archbishop of Buenos Aires.

The name chosen by Bergoglio has also been announced - Francis I - and interestingly, besides being the first Francis of all Popes, the new pontiff is also the “first” in other respects: Bergoglio is the first Jesuit Pope, the first Latin American and the first non-European to be elected to lead the Catholic Church in over a thousand years of history.