BREAKING: Cardinals Elect New Pope As White Smoke Rises Over Vatican

White smoke has risen above the Sistine Chapel, the signal that cardinals have chosen a new pope on the second day of the conclave.

His identity, and the name he will take as pontiff, will be revealed soon.

Cardinals took two days to select a new pontiff, matching the timeline from the previous two gatherings and suggesting that a leading candidate quickly impressed his peers during the secretive process.

Francis and Benedict XVI were both revealed in the evening of the conclave’s second day, while John Paul II, the longest-reigning pope of modern times, was selected on the third day in 1978.

The 133 cardinals whose voices reverberated inside the halls of the Sistine Chapel included progressives, conservatives, and self-styled unifiers from 71 different nations, and the chosen candidate will have navigated those contrasting camps to reach the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he will soon greet his faithful for the first time.

Crowds are eagerly waiting below in St. Peter’s Square, desperate for a glimpse of the man whose identity is moments from being revealed. The French Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti will in the coming moments deliver, in Latin, the historic “Habemus Papam!” (“We have a pope!)” announcement.

The winner’s papal name will then be announced, and the new pope will speak briefly and say a prayer. His formal coronation will take place in the days after his election; the last two popes have been inaugurated in St. Peter’s Square.