Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio Of Argentina Named As New Pope

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, from Argentina was announced as the Catholic Church's new pope Wednesday night. Thousands of Catholics gathered under umbrellas outside St. Peter's Basilica, eagerly waiting for the church's 266th pontiff to emerge and greet the faithful from the balcony.

The new pope will replace Benedict XVI, whose surprise resignation last month prompted the 115 Roman Catholic cardinals to initiate a conclave, a Latin phrase meaning "with a key," to pick a new leader for the world's almost 2 billion Catholics.

Bergoglio will become the first pope from Latin America. He won the necessary two-thirds vote after only two days of the conclave. Several other candidates were considered front runners, including Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, who would have become the first African pope in modern times.