Update, 3:32 p.m.
Argentine Jorge Bergoglio has been elected pope, the first ever from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium. He chose the name Pope Francis.
Original story, 2:57 p.m.
White smoke appeared at the Sistine Chapel chimney around 2 p.m. today indicating that a pope had been elected and had accepted the position.
Bishop Luis R. Zarama of the Archdiocese of Atlanta will hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m. today in Smyrna to comment on the new pope.
Argentine Jorge Bergoglio has been elected pope, the first ever from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium. He chose the name Pope Francis.
According to Catholic tradition, the newly appointed Bishop of Rome is the 266th successor of St. Peter and leader of the worldwide Catholic Church consisting of 1.2 billion Catholics.
The white smoke appeared at 7:05 p.m. CET (2:05 p.m. EDT / 11:05 a.m. PDT) time after five rounds of voting. In 2005, Benedict XVI was elected on the second day after four rounds of voting.
The Catholic Church's 115 cardinal electors voted in this papal election, and the newly appointed pontiff has received at least 77 votes.
This is a developing story. Stayed tuned for more.
