‪NEW POPE: Cardinal Jorge Mario ‪Bergoglio from ‪Argentina elected as the leader of the ‪Catholic Church. He will be known as ‪Pope Francis the first.

Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been elected the Roman Catholic Church's new Pope.

The first Latin American to be Pope, he will call himself Francis I.

An hour earlier, white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel chimney announced to the world that cardinals gathered inside had made their choice.

Cardinal Bergoglio replaces Benedict XVI, who resigned last month saying he was not strong enough to lead the Church.

The 115 cardinals have been in isolation since Tuesday afternoon, and held four inconclusive votes.

At least 77 of them, or two-thirds, would have had to vote for a single candidate for him to be elected Pope.

Before the conclave began, there was no clear frontrunner to replace Benedict.

Crowds with umbrellas massed in the square flying flags from around the world.

The Catholic News Agency said people were running through the streets of Rome, hoping to reach St Peter's Square in time for the appearance of the new Pope.

A troupe of Swiss Guards in silver helmets and full regalia marched to the Basilica in preparation for the announcement, as military bands played for the onlookers.

The new Pope will emerge from the loggia overlooking the square to deliver his first speech.

He will have already accepted an invitation to become Pope and the cardinals will have sworn allegiance to him, after which he will have gone to pray alone.

Conclave Over: New Pope chosen by cardinals

White smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel chimney has announced to the world that cardinals gathered inside have elected a new Pope to head the Catholic Church.

Crowds in St Peter's Square cheered and bells rang out as the smoke appeared.

The name of the new Pope is expected to be announced shortly.

He will replace Pope Benedict XVI, who stepped down last month saying he was no longer strong enough to lead the Church.

The 115 cardinals have been in isolation since Tuesday afternoon, and held four inconclusive votes before electing a Pope.

Before the conclave began, there was no clear frontrunner to replace Benedict.

Cardinals resume Papal deliberations as Conclave Continues today.

Cardinals are due to begin their second day of deliberations in the Vatican conclave that will elect a new pope, after reaching no decision on Tuesday.

The 115 cardinal-electors are shut off in the Sistine Chapel until two-thirds agree on a leader for the world's 1.2bn Catholics.

Black smoke signalling an inconclusive first vote drew cheers from crowds in St Peter's Square on Tuesday evening.

There is no clear frontrunner to replace Pope Benedict XVI.

The 85-year-old stepped down last month, saying he was no longer strong enough to lead the Church, which is beset by problems ranging from a worldwide scandal over child sex abuse to allegations of corruption at the Vatican Bank.

The cardinals will vote four times daily until a single candidate garners enough support - at which point the smoke coming from the Sistine Chapel chimney will be white.

After Tuesday night's sleep at the Vatican hotel, they will travel through the gardens back to the chapel on Wednesday morning to resume voting.

Voting takes place in silence, with no formal discussion, until a decision is reached. If that does not happen after three days, there may be a pause for prayer and informal discussion for a maximum of one day.

Crowds who had braved rain and storms to watch the cardinals go into the conclave on big screens in St Peter's Square cheered as the black smoke appeared at 19:41 (18:41 GMT) on Tuesday.

"I thought it was going to be white, because they were late. I thought it was going to be white, but I was wrong," said Paolo Paparini, a 76-year-old man waiting faithfully amongst the crowd told the Associated Press news agency.

"Without a pope I feel bereft, like an orphan. I pray to give the cardinals the strength to choose the right man to lead the Church," French priest Guillaume Le Floch told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

"It cannot be an easy decision, but the Church needs a great leader now more than ever. The cardinals have a chance to astonish us," he said.

At one point feminist activists from the Ukrainian Femen group set off flares of pink smoke in the square to highlight what their website calls "the bloody violent history of Christianity" and the group's "determination to combat sexism of religion".

The topless protesters were dragged away by police.

The buzz in Rome is that a new pope may be elected by Friday night, perhaps even earlier, says the BBC's David Willey who is there.

There is no desire among the cardinals for a prolonged conclave, he says.

The cardinal-electors attended a special Mass on Tuesday morning, and then entered the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave on Tuesday afternoon.

After swearing a Latin oath, the papal master of ceremonies called out the words "Extra omnes" - "Everybody out" - and the chapel doors were locked to outsiders.

From now on the cardinals - all under 80, as those over 80 are excluded - will eat, vote and sleep in closed-off areas until a new pope is chosen.

Jamming devices in the Sistine Chapel should block all electronic communication and anyone tweeting would in any case risk being excommunicated.

Who's Gonna be The Next Pope as Conclave Begins

Cardinals have entered the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, where they will begin voting to elect a new Pope.

The 115 cardinal-electors were locked in the chapel after swearing an oath of secrecy.

They will vote four times daily until two-thirds can agree on a candidate.

The election was prompted by the surprise abdication of Benedict XVI. There is no clear frontrunner to take over from him as head of the Roman Catholic Church.

The 85-year-old Benedict stepped down last month, saying he was no longer strong enough to lead the Church, which is beset by problems ranging from a worldwide scandal over child sex abuse to allegations of corruption at the Vatican Bank.

His resignation and the recent damage to the Church's reputation make the choice of the cardinal-electors especially hard to predict, the BBC's James Robbins in Rome says.

They will weigh pressure for a powerful manager to reform the Vatican against calls for a new pope able to inspire the faithful, our correspondent adds.

At 16:30 local time (15:30 GMT) on Tuesday, 115 cardinal-electors - all under 80, as those over 80 are excluded - entered the Sistine Chapel for the secret conclave to select Benedict's successor, chanting the traditional Litany of the Saints.

Each man in turn stepped up and placed his hands on the Gospel to swear an oath in Latin.

Afterwards Msgr Guido Marini, papal master of ceremonies, called out the words "Extra omnes" - "Everybody out" - and the chapel doors were locked to outsiders.

From now on the cardinals will eat, vote and sleep in closed-off areas until a new pope is chosen.

Jamming devices in the Sistine Chapel should block all electronic communication and anyone tweeting would in any case risk being excommunicated.

Cardinals were now expected listen to a meditation by elderly Maltese Cardinal Prosper Grech before holding a first vote, after which their ballot papers will be burned.

The smoke that will drift out of the chapel's chimney early in the evening is likely to be black - meaning no Pope has been elected.

The Vatican: Conclave To Elect Pope To Begin On Tuesday

Roman Catholic cardinals will start their conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI on March 12, the Vatican says.

The secret vote to elect a new Pope is set to begin next Tuesday at the Vatican.

The Vatican press office said the decision was taken during a vote Friday afternoon of the College of Cardinals.

Only Cardinals who are under the age of 80 - 115 of them - can take part in the election, which is held behind locked doors in the Sistine Chapel.

The Chapel has been closed to the public as it is prepared for the conclave, which is carried out according to strict protocols and ancient ritual.

The Cardinals will attend a mass on Tuesday morning before filing into the Chapel and holding their first vote that afternoon to choose a successor to Pope Benedict XVI.

Benedict announced last month he was resigning saying he didn't have the mental or physical strength to carry on as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

The conclave will take as long as it takes. Cardinals hold 2 votes in the morning and 2 in the afternoon until one candidate gets a two-thirds majority - 77 votes.

When that happens white smoke will rise from the Vatican chimney as the votes are burnt signalling a new Pope has been selected.

If there is no majority, black smoke signals the conclave will continue for another day.

Within an hour of the white smoke, the new Pope will appear on the balcony of St Peter's basilica to the words "Habemus Papem" - "we have a Pope".