Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, of Argentina was elected the new pope to lead 1.2 billion Roman Catholics today. He is the first Jesuit to become pope, the first non-European leader in more than 1,000 years and has chosen the name Francis.

More than an hour after white smoke appeared over the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, a signal that the sequestered 115 cardinal electors had reached a decision, Bergoglio emerged onto the central balcony as the Roman Catholic Church's 266th pope.

“I would like to thank you for your embrace,” Pope Francis said from the balcony. Thanking his fellow cardinals, he said they “have chosen one from far away, but here I am.”

A crowd of thousands huddled under umbrellas cheering enthusiastically as the white smoke steamed out of the Sistine Chapel after having waited in the rain all day for the possible announcement that a new pope had been chosen.

"It's a great moment in history, something I can tell my mum," David Brasch, from Brisbane Australia, told Reuters. "He's got to get the child abuse under control, I don't know how they're going to do that. He's got to unite 1.2 billion people."

Chicago Catholics are invited to Holy Name Cathedral this evening for a 5:15 p.m. Thanksgiving Mass to celebrate the new Pope's election.