A burst of applause. The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica ringing. The news of a pope elected, in photos

We have a new pope!

White smoke appeared from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on Thursday afternoon, signaling that cardinals have elected a successor to Pope Francis.

That man was revealed to be Robert Prevost, the first American pontiff in history. He will take on the name Pope Leo XIV.

For the past 24 hours, much of the world’s attention has been on the Vatican, where the papal conclave has been taking place.

Francis, the only Latin American pontiff in history, died last month at the age of 88. His funeral, held on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, was attended by heads of state, royalty and more than 250,000 mourners.

When the white plume of smoke began rising from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney on Thursday, there was a huge cheer of relief and joy from the thousands of people watching in St. Peter’s Square.

There was a burst of applause, and the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica began ringing to welcome the news.

As news spread, some people began running through the streets of Rome to get to the square.

The papal conclave, a centuries-old tradition, can be as suspenseful as it is secretive. It began on Wednesday, with 133 cardinals attending. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are allowed to vote in a papal election.

The conclave started with a special Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. Later, the cardinals assembled at the Pauline Chapel before walking to the Sistine Chapel.

The Sistine Chapel is where voting took place. During the conclave, the chapel was placed under total lockdown to guarantee secrecy. In 2013, signal blockers were installed to prevent any calls, texts or internet access.

At the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, the cardinals sang prayers and took an oath of secrecy just before the conclave started.

One by one, in order of seniority, each cardinal took the oath.

It was one of the final acts we saw before the chapel closed its doors.

Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, gave the order of “extra omnes,” a Latin phrase that means “everybody out.” All of the “extras” then filed out, leaving only the 133 cardinal electors.

A candidate needed two-thirds of the vote to be elected. The results of each vote were revealed to the outside world only by the smoke that comes out from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney each time ballots are burned.

Black smoke means no pope has been chosen. White smoke means the opposite.

The pr two conclaves — held in 2005 to elect Pope Benedict XVI and in 2013 to elect Pope Francis — also lasted two days.

This conclave was “one of the most diverse that we’ve had in the history of the church,” Susan Timoney, a professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC, previously told CNN.

During Francis’ 12-year papacy, he appointed more than 20 cardinals from nations that had never previously had a cardinal — nearly all from developing countries, including Mongolia, Laos, Papua New Guinea and Mali.

Most of the cardinals in the conclave also owe their positions to Pope Francis. Of the 133 cardinals who voted, Francis installed 108.

The dean of the College of Cardinals, or the most senior cardinal bishop, will ask the chosen candidate whether he accepts his election and what papal name he wants to take.

The pope-elect will then change into traditional papal robes in the Room of Tears, a small room next to the Sistine Chapel.

The Cardinal Protodeacon of the College of Cardinals will appear at the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and announce in Latin “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; Habemus Papam!” (“I announce to you a great joy; we have a pope!”)

The new pope will then follow him and deliver his first apostolic blessing, known as the “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and to the World”).