Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, elected as the Catholic Church's new Pope, Francis, has greeted crowds in St Peter's Square in Rome.
Appearing on a balcony over the square, he asked the faithful to pray for him. Cheers erupted as he gave a blessing.
The 76-year-old from Buenos Aires is the first Latin American and the first Jesuit to be pontiff.
An hour earlier, white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney announced the new Pope's election.
He will be installed officially in an inauguration Mass on Tuesday 19 March, the Vatican said.
Pope Francis replaces Benedict XVI, who resigned last month at the age of 85, saying he was not strong enough to lead the Church.
He has telephoned Benedict and is planning to meet him, a Vatican spokesman said.
Pope Francis takes the helm at a difficult time for the Catholic Church, facing an array of challenges which include the role of women, interfaith tensions and dwindling congregations in some parts of the world.
Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17 December 1936, one of the five children of Italian immigrants Mario Jose Bergoglio, a railway worker, and Regina Maria Sivori, a housewife. As a teenager, Bergoglio had a lung removed as a result of an infection. He studied and received a master's degree in chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires before he decided to pursue an ecclesiastical career.
In 1967 Bergoglio finished his theological studies and was ordained to the priesthood on 13 December 1969, by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano. He attended the a seminary in San Miguel, Buenos Aires. Bergoglio attained the position of novice master there and became professor of theology.
The Society of Jesus promoted Bergoglio and he served as provincial for Argentina from 1973 to 1979.He was transferred in 1980 to become the rector of the seminary in San Miguel, and served in that capacity until 1986. He returned to Argentina to serve as confessor and spiritual director in Córdoba.
From BBC News and wikipedia
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