VATICAN CITY - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected Tuesday by his peers to lead the Roman Catholic Church after the death of Pope John Paul II, the Vatican announced.
Bells ringing from the Vatican earlier confirmed that cardinals had reached a decision and that, along with white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney, caused crowds in St. Peter's Square to chant, “Viva il Papa!†or “Long live the pope!â€
The square quickly filled up as thousands of people began streaming in as word of the decision spread.
The new pope was to appear shortly on the main balcony overlooking the square to deliver his first public address.
The conclave of 115 cardinals lasted for two days, and no conclave in the past century had lasted more than five days. The election that made John Paul II pope in October 1978 took eight ballots over three days.