Argentina's Bergoglio elected first Latin American pope
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Argentina's Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis I on Wednesday, becoming the first Latin American pontiff in a surprise decision that signalled a desire for a more open Catholic Church.
The 76-year-old moderate emerged smiling on to the balcony of St Peter's Basilica to cries of "Long live the pope!" as tens of thousands of pilgrims cheered, cried and applauded.
The first non-European pope in more than 1,200 years of Church history, Francis called for "brotherhood" among the world's 1.2 billion Catholics and prayed the Hail Mary together with the crowd in St Peter's Square.
Meanwhile, tears and cheers erupted across Latin American on Wednesday as an Argentine cardinal became the first pope from the hemisphere, and many expressed hope that he help bring the church closer to the poverty-wracked region that is home to more Catholics than any other.
