First LatAm Pope

Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected Pope on Wednesday to lead the Roman Catholic Church, a prelate announced to huge crowds cheering in St. Peter’s Square late Wednesday night. He took the name Pope Francis, the cardinal said. Cardinals elected Bergoglio on just the second day of a secret conclave to find a successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who abdicated last month. White smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel roof on Wednesday and the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica pealed, signalling that the cardinal electors had chosen a new Pope after only five ballots.