MILAN - Following the fifth vote, on the second day of the Conclave, white smoke emerged at 19:06 this evening, signalling the election of a new Pope. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a Jesuit from Argentina, becomes the 266th pontiff, and the first South American to hold this post. Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he was born on 17 December 1936 in the Argentinian capital, and will take the name Francis.
His compatriot Javier Zanetti wanted to wish the new Holy Father well with
a personal message via Inter Channel: "I must admit that this is a very
emotional time for us Argentines. I don't know him personally, but he's
a Pope who has lived in Buenos Aires, he's very humble and he's always
been close to our people. Faith is so important in the world, and we're
all very close to him. I was lucky enough to meet Pope Ratzinger and now
I expect to one day meet the new Pope - my fellow countryman - and it
would be a very moving experience for me and my whole family. I wish him
all the very best and, as I've said, this is a very emotional time for
the Argentinian people."
