White smoke finally emerged from the Sistine Chapel today after cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was appointed the new pope by the papal conclave. The 76-year-old Jesuit was previously the archbishop of Buenos Aires, making him the first ever pope from the Americas and the first one from outside of Europe in several years.
Bergoglio was reportedly a "close second" to Benedict XVl in 2005, and was reportedly selected because of his appeal to both conservatives and moderates. Bergoglio will adopt the name Francis I.
[via Gawker and the Associated Press]
