The new Pope has been elected

By Mick the Ram

White smoke is billowing from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel, signalling that the voting process has concluded and the 133 Roman Catholic cardinals from 71 different nations inside, have elected a successor to Pope Francis.

The new Pope is Robert Prevost, the first ever American Pope. He was born in Chicago, but left there at a very young age and has spent much of his life in Peru. He is 69-years-old and will be referred to as Pope Leo XIV.

The massive crowd, believed to be around 50,000 deep, has gathered around the Vatican and are cheering excitedly, waving flags from many different countries, and people are locked in embraces to celebrate that fact that the next leader of the Catholic Church has been chosen.

Bells are ringing loudly and reverberating all around the square in an atmosphere of overwhelming joy as everyone looks to be present for the historic moment as the new pope is introduced and presented to the world.

While the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics awaited the emergence of the new leader of their church on the famous loggia, a series of rituals took place. Once a successful vote is complete, the newly elected pope is asked: “Do you accept your canonical election as supreme pontiff?” After he accepts, he is then asked: “What name do you wish to be called?”

The new pope will have been led to a small room next to the Sistine Chapel where he will have put on the white papal robes before the senior cardinal confirms the decision with the words “Habemus Papam” – Latin for “we have a Pope” – and introduce the new pontiff by his chosen papal name, which is now known to be Leo XIV.

The cardinal electors then pay homage and pledge obedience to the new head of the church, and thanks are given to God while the new pope is taken into a sacristy and fitted with papal attire.

Finally, the pronouncement is made in Latin  “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!” (“I bring you tidings of great joy: We have a pope!”) and the new pope gives an apostolic blessing to throngs of faithful.

Cardinals took two days to select a new pontiff, matching the timeline from the previous two gatherings and suggesting that a leading candidate quickly impressed his peers during the secretive process. Francis and Benedict XVI were both revealed in the evening of the conclave’s second day, while John Paul II, the longest-reigning pope of modern times, was selected on the third day in 1978.

The new pontiff emerged on the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square to be greeted by the masses.  Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, a 73-year-old Frenchman born in Morocco, made the announcement.

The coming days are for celebration; the pontiff’s name will be uttered in homilies and masses across the Catholic world, and will spark particularly joyous scenes in his home country. His formal coronation will take place in the days after his election; the last two popes have been inaugurated in St. Peter’s Square.