Editor’s Note: Anderson Cooper reports live from Rome tonight on the election of Cardinal Jorge Bergogolio as the new pope for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, has been elected as the new pope of the Catholic Church. He’s taking the name Pope Francis. The name symbolizes "poverty, humility and simplicity,” said John Allen, CNN’s Senior Vatican Analyst. When the new pope spoke to the massive crowd in St. Peter’s Square today, he told them, “Let us pray always for one another. Let us pray for the whole world. Let us have a big brotherhood.” The papal conclave took five votes over two days until it reached its decision. Here’s the AC360 411 on the new pope and papal conclave:
- Pope Francis is a 76-year-old Jesuit, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- First pope from Latin America
- Came in second in the 2005 balloting that elected Benedict XVI
- Son of an Italian-born railway worker; his mother was a housewife
- Has four siblings
- Had part of one lung removed when he was a teenager due to a respiratory illness
- Speaks Spanish, Italian and German and several other languages
- Earned a degree in chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires
- 1960: Earned a degree in philosophy from the Catholic University of Buenos Aires
- 1969: Ordained as priest
- 1998: Became Archbishop of Buenos Aires, served until last year
- Rode the bus, lived in simple apartment and cooked his own meals in Buenos Aires
- Known simply as "Father Jorge" to many in Buenos Aires
- 2001: Elevated to cardinal by then Pope John Paul II
- 115 cardinals voted in conclave
- 11 of 115 votes from U.S. cardinals, the second largest national voting bloc after Italy
- 3 cardinals were chosen to count votes
- 3 other cardinals checked the counts
- 3 helped older cardinals in casting ballots
- 1 round of voting allowed on first day of conclave
- 4 vote rounds allowed after first day (2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon)
- After 4 days if no pope chosen, cardinals would have taken a day for prayer and discussion
- 67 of the 115 cardinals were appointed by Benedict XVI
- 4 voting rounds held for election of Pope Benedict XVI in 2005
- 77 votes (two-thirds) were necessary to become new pope
- 1903 and 1922 conclaves: Longest of 20th century, each lasted 5 days (Pius X & Pius XI elected)