White smoke is pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling that a pope has been elected to lead the Catholic Church.
The crowd in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers Thursday. The name will be announced later, when a top cardinal utters the words “Habemus Papam!” — Latin for “We have a pope!” — from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The cardinal then reads the winner’s birth name in Latin, and reveals the name he has chosen to be called. The new pope is then expected to make his first public appearance and impart a blessing from the same loggia.
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