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Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 77, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, was elected the new pope on Wednesday on the second day of secrete ballots in the cardinals' conclave held in Vatican City.
White smoke out of the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel and the sound of church bells announced at 7:06 p.m. local time (1806 GMT) that Bergoglio was the new pope in front of thousands of believers and international journalists who were waiting for the news in St Peter square.
The name he chose as the new pope was Francis I. He is the first Jesuit to become pope.
A member of the Jesuits, and ordained in 1936, after four years as priest Bergoglio became head of all the Jesuits in Argentina.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio waves on the balcony of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican, March 13, 2013. Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 77, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, was elected the new pope on Wednesday during a secret ballot in the cardinals' conclave in Vatican City. (xinhua/Alberto Lingria)
After studying in Germany, he became bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and archbishop in 1998. A strong supporter of helping the poor, Bergoglio was made cardinal in 2001.
The secret conclave began on Tuesday night with a first ballot and four ballots were held on Wednesday. Francis obtained the required two thirds majority in the fifth ballot.
The pope emeritus renounced office at the end of last month after surprising the world by announcing that he no longer had the mental and physical strengths to continue papacy.
