Who Is The New Pope? Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio Of Argentina Announced After White Smoke

"Who is the new pope?" the world has been asking. "Habemus Papam" exclaimed Jean-Louis Tauran just after 3:15 p.m., EDT, Wednesday afternoon, as white smoke rose from the chimney of St. Peter's Basilica.

The now-former Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been named the new leader of the Catholic Church. He will take the name Pope Francis I, after St. Francis of Assisi.

"It seems to me that my brothers and cardinals have chosen one who is from far away, but here I am." were the first words spoken from Pope Francis I on the edge of the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. In the Holy See, throngs of onlookers have flooded St. Peter's Square, chanting, "Long live the pope!"

His Eminence was born Dec. 17, 1936, the son of a railway worker. He will be the first Jesuit Pope, entering the Society of Jesus in 1958. Before pursuing ordination, Francis was a trained chemist. He is a strong opponent of same-sex marriage and endorsed the views of the Vatican on the topic. He once wrote that the debate on the topic was "not a simple political battle, [but] it is a destructive pretension against the plan of God."