Vatican Presents
Pope Francis I to the People

Pope Francis I

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina has been elected the next pope. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran made the announcement Wednesday night from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. The 76-year-old new pope has taken the name Pope Francis I.

Elected on the fifth ballot, the pope was chosen in one of the fastest conclaves in years, remarkable given there was no clear front-runner going into the vote and that the church had been in turmoil following the upheaval unleashed by Pope Benedict XVI’s surprise resignation.