Expectant crowds at St. Peter's Square, just outside the Sistine Chapel, were jubiliant after white smoke issued from the chimney of the Chapel building, as well as the sweet chime of bells, signifying the selection of a new Pope.
The identity of the new pontiff, having secured a two-third majority of at least 89 votes from the 133 cardinal electors, will be announced later, when a top cardinal breaks the papal sequestration to utter the Latin phrase 'Habemus papam!', which translates to “We have a Pope!”
The 267th Pope of the Catholic Church will then grace crowds with his presence at the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, where the verbal announcement regarding his appointment was first made.
Although there is no set time for the new head of the Vatican Church to grace crowds for the first time, Pope Francis appeared an hour and 20 minutes after white smoke was released, an AP report stated.
The report added that while there are never official candidates for the papacy, but some cardinals were considered “papabile”, or possessing the characteristics necessary to become a pontiff. Some papabile cardinals are Pietro Parolin, who oversaw the conclave, Luis Tagle, dubbed the “Asian Francis”, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, a conservative cardinal native to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Pierbattista Pizzaballa, potentially the first Italian pope in decades.
