We have a new Pope! White smoke finally appears over Sistine Chapel after cardinals decide the new Pontiff

A new Pope was elected this afternoon after white smoke poured out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City signalling the election of a Pontiff to lead the Catholic Church.
Tens of thousands cheered in St. Paul's Square at the sight of the symbolic plumes, announcing that a successor to Benedict XVI had finally been chosen after two days of intense voting.
After hours braving the cold rain, the huge crowd chanted 'Habemus Papam' and 'We have a pope' - as the bells of St. Peter's Basilica and other churches across Rome pealed.
The new Pope is expected to appear on the balcony of the Basilica within an hour, after a church official announced the decision to cardinals.
He will first be dressed in his papal robes before joining in prayer with the other cardinals.
The conclave was called after Pope Benedict XVI resigned last month for health reasons, sending the church into turmoil and exposing deep divisions among cardinals tasked with finding a replacement to address issues within the church.

Chants of `Long live the pope' arose from the throngs of Catholics, many with tears in their eyes and the crowds buzzed with excitement as the Vatican and Italian military bands marched through the square and up the steps of the basilica.
They were followed by Swiss Guards, dressed in silver helmets and full regalia.
A result on only the first full day of voting in the Papal election surprised many who thought that the process would take several days.
This was because there appeared to be no clear front runner in the election of the 266th Pontiff. It was also thought it may be longer conclave as the previous Pope had not died.

The election of the new Pope had one more ballot as that in 2005 when Joseph Ratzinger was elected and became Benedict XVI in what was one of the quickest elections of all time.
On the first evening of that election black smoke appeared from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney before a further two votes the following morning did not get a result either. However the third ballot saw Benedict XVI elected after only 26 hours of debate.
The election of the new Pope is likely to be among the fastest of all time, alongside the conclave that saw Pius Xii chosen after 20 hours in 1939.
The longest conclave of the last century went on for 14 rounds over five days, and yielded Pius XI - in 1922.
The October 1978 conclave, called when Pope John Paul I died just after 33 days in office, saw cardinals vote eight times before Karol Wojtyla was chosen and became Pope John Paul II.
Pope John Paul I’s conclave two months earlier again had only four ballots before he was chosen.

These modern-day conclaves are extremely short though in comparison to the election of Gregory XI in 1271.
His election took three years thanks to political infighting between cardinals, during which twenty of the those chosen to elect the pope died and one resigned.
Thousands of faithful Catholics had waited in the rain outside the Sistine Chapel eagerly anticipating a decision.

The pilgrims were disappointed this morning, when the cardinals failed to make a decision after voting for a second time on a replacement for Benedict XVI.
Black smoke poured out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel around 10.40am GMT to signify that the latest ballot had resulted in deadlock.
Benedict's resignation has thrown the church into turmoil and exposed deep divisions among cardinals grappling with whether to pick a manager who can clean up the Vatican bureaucracy or a pastor who can inspire Catholics at a time of crisis.
Before the announcement of a new Pontiff, the red-hatted and red-caped cardinals yesterday chanted and prayed for divine guidance as they prepared for a conclave to choose a pontiff who will face one of the most difficult periods in the Church's history.

They gathered in the Pauline Chapel and walked in procession along the frescoed halls of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace into the Sistine.
'The entire Church, united with us in prayer, asks for the grace of the Holy Spirit at this moment so that we elect a worthy shepherd for the entire flock of Christ,' a cardinal said in Latin as the procession began.

They then chanted what is known as the 'litany of saints', asking more than 150 saints by name for help in making their choice of who should succeed Benedict XVI, who has withdrawn from public life after his surprise abdication last month
Once inside the Sistine, they took their places along the walls of the frescoed chapel and sang a hymn to the Holy Spirit, asking it to 'visit our minds' during the election process.
They then read an oath in Latin, promising to abide by all the rules of the conclave, including not to reveal anything that goes on during the conclave.

Some analysts had expected a relatively lengthy conclave as there was seen to be no frontrunner to succeed Benedict, who became the first pope in six centuries to step down, saying he was not strong enough at 85 to confront the woes of a Church whose 1.2 billion members look to Rome for leadership.