Above: Vatican City

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been elected as the new Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, following the conclave in the Vatican and a “Habemus Papam” announcement by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.

He has taken the name Pope Francis.

The native of Argentina is now the leader of around 1.2 billion Catholics on earth, and leader of a community consisting of 13 ecclesiastical provinces in the Caribbean. He is the first Pope ever from Latin America.

The vote came after what was believed to be the fifth ballot for Pope by the College of Cardinals.

White smoke emerged from the conclave at 7:06 local time, meaning at least two thirds of the 115 cardinals assembled supported his candidacy.

He first emerged in St Peter’s Square at just past 8:10 PM local time, greeting adherents wearing the Pope’s traditional white vestments.

There were two cardinals that could have been considered from the Caribbean, including Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino from Cuba and Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez from the Dominican Republic.