Jorge Mario Bergoglio elected new pope: as it happened 00.00 (23.00) Pope Francis will visit his successor tomorrow, according to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York. 23.55 (22.55) John Bingham stands in an emptying St Peter's Square: It's like the aftermath of a very good natured carnival. The more than 100,000 people who crammed into St Peter's Square mostly took their litter home. As the last copies of the a special late edition of the official Vatican mouthpiece "L'Osservatore Romano" were snapped up and vendors waved their hands and shouted "Domani, Domani," the clean-up is beginning in St Peter's Square. It won't take them long - apart from picking up the tattered and discarded brollies after today's deluge peppering the place, there won't be much to do. Despite the exuberance of the charge forward as the white smoke went up, the most striking moment of all has to be the almost complete silence as the new Pope led the crowd in prayer. 23.45 (22.45) Our friends at Now This News have this amusing compilation of the how ambiguous smoke initially confused some broadcasters: 23.35 (22.35) More than 40 per cent of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics are from Latin America, as are 19 of the 115 cardinals who voted in tonight's election. Brazil is the world's largest Catholic country, with 134 million followers, but it's interesting to note that across Latin American protestant evangelicals are making inroads into traditionally Catholic strongholds. 23.20 (22.20) The new pope has clashed repeatedly with the Argentine government but it seems that he basically agrees with Mrs Kirchner over the Falkland Islands, Sam Marsden and John-Paul Ford Rojas report: Pro British demonstrators on the Falklands 23.07 (22.07) The elevation of an Argentine to the papacy apparently led to a heated argument in the country's congress, according to the Washington Post: The dispute had to do with whether or not the legislators should drop what they were doing when the news came in and listen to Bergoglio's remarks. Normally, that would seem to be an easy choice. But they were in the middle of a ceremony to mark the death of fellow Latin American leader Hugo Chavez. The Chamber of Deputies, you see, is held by a coalition led by the party Front for Victory. That party is left-leaning; not as far left as Chavez, but far enough that its members apparently took the ceremony seriously. The opposition party, which is right-leaning, was probably happy for an excuse to end the paean to Chavez early. The chamber devolved into a heated dispute about whether they should break from the ceremony. The ruling party, unsurprisingly, won out. The Chamber finished the ceremony before turning to Bergoglio. 22.52 (21.52) An unassuming late night-edition of the Vatican's daily "Bolletino" carries a headline you don't see often: 22.40 (21.40) Obama was inside the lion's den i.e. a meeting with Republican members of Congress, when the white smoke went up at the Vatican. He was apparently halfway through a speech but broke the news to lawmakers after an aide handed him a note. On the way out of the meeting, a reporter asked him if he had any white smoke of his own to announce in the form of some sort of breakthrough with Republicans. "You're straining the analogy," he replied. 22.35 (21.35) John Bingham on a result that confounded the pundits: Despite the bookies and pundits utterly failing even to Consider Jorge Mario Bergoglio, it won't put them off speculating about the future. Electing a Pope far older than anyone thought likely clearly means it will not be as long a pontificate as it might have been. That raises one intriguing prospect. Among all the likely candidates for Pope there was one about whom it was said repeatedly this week 'He would be amazing but next time, not just yet. He was 55-year-old Luis Tagle of the Philippines. The process of election has brought him to the attention of the wider world. We have not heard the last of him. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila 22.30 (21.30) Luke Coppen, editor of The Catholic Herald, analyses what Pope Francis's election means for the Church: 22.20 (21.20) Apparently just "Pope Francis" is enough and we don't need to worry about the Roman numeral I, according to Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi. It will become Francis I after we have a Francis II 22.15 (21.15) From the Vatican, Nick Squires maps out the rest of Pope Francis's evening: Tonight returns to the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the spartan but comfortable "hotel" within the walls of the Vatican where all the cardinals have stayed during the conclave. He will have a celebratory dinner with his brother cardinals, their ranks now reduced from 115 to 114 in the wake of his election. 22.10 (21.10) Joe Biden, the proudly Irish-Catholic Vice President of the United States, will lead the American delegation to Rome to witness the papal inauguration next week. 22.05 (21.05) The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has released this statement following election of his Catholic counterpart: His election is also of great significance to Christians everywhere, not least among Anglicans. We have long since recognized - and often reaffirmed - that our churches hold a special place for one another. Pope Francis is well known as a compassionate pastor of real stature who has served the poor in Latin America, and whose simplicity and holiness of life is remarkable. He is an evangelist, sharing the love of Christ which he himself knows. 22.02 (21.02) Pope Francis I appears to have emerged as a compromise after the frontrunners failed to secure the necessary two-thirds to get through: 22.00 (21.00) Our own Alex Spillius analyses the significance of the new pope's new name: Jorge Mario Bergoglio's decision to become the first Pope Francis spoke volumes about his background and how he will lead the Roman Catholic Church. It could be a tribute to St Francis of Assisi, the 13th century reformer who lived in poverty and told followers: "Preach the Gospel always, if necessary use words." Either way, his choice of name reflected the belief that the church needed to show humility after years of scandal, without veering from its conservative doctrine. 21.52 (20.52) There are some interesting details from a 2005 WikiLeaks cable written by an US diplomat trying to give Washington a sense of the papal contenders: He speaks Spanish, Italian and German. Bergoglio exemplifies the virtues of the wise pastor that many electors value. Observers have praised his humility: he has been reluctant to accept honors or hold high office and commutes to work on a bus. What could count against him is his membership in the Jesuit order. Some senior prelates, especially conservatives, are suspicious of a liberal streak in the order, perhaps most pronounced in the US, but also present elsewhere. 21.48 (20.48) Twitter humour makes it into St Peter's Square: Picture by the BBC's Cara Swift 21.40 (20.40) The new pope has telephoned his success, Benedict XVI, and is apparently due to visit him soon at the Vatican. His inaugural mass will be on Tuesday, March 19. We also sometimes forget that the pope is the head of the state and part of his job will be forming a new circle of ministers, including a foreign minister to represent the Holy See abroad. 21.30 (20.30) The White House has just released this statement from President Obama: On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I offer our warm wishes to His Holiness Pope Francis as he ascends to the Chair of Saint Peter and begins his papacy. As a champion of the poor and the most vulnerable among us, he carries forth the message of love and compassion that has inspired the world for more than two thousand years - that in each other we see the face of God. As the first pope from the Americas, his selection also speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world, and alongside millions of Hispanic Americans, those of us in the United States share the joy of this historic day. 21.22 (20.22) How important is it that the new pope is the first Jesuit ever to head the church? The Jesuit nearly 500-year-old order was found by St Ignatius of Loyala, a Spaniard who his movement in absolution devotion to the Pope. Jesuits are sometimes jokingly referred to as "the pope's shock troops" because of their loyalty to the Vatican but the order is also known for its intellectualism and for its missionaries. 21.16 (20.16) The picture emerging of the new pope is of a man who doctrinally conservative - taking traditional positions on issues of morality - but a social progressive who seems to care deeply about the poor. 21.11 (20.11) Here's part of the AP's profile of Pope Francis I, describing him as "an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernized Argentina's conservative Catholic church." Bergoglio often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited the slums that ring Argentina's capital. He considers social outreach, rather than doctrinal battles, to be the essential business of the church. He accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes. Become the Word in body as well as spirit," Bergoglio told Argentina's priests last year. Bergoglio's legacy as cardinal includes his efforts to repair the reputation of a church that lost many followers by failing to openly challenge Argentina's murderous 1976-83 dictatorship. He also worked to recover the church's traditional political influence in society, but his outspoken criticism of President Cristina Kirchner couldn't stop her from imposing socially liberal measures that are anathema to the church, from gay marriage and adoption to free contraceptives for all. 21.09 (20.09) Here's the moment the new pope was introduced to the world: 21.08 (20.08) First congratulations come from Ban-ki Moon, the UN Secretary General, who released this statement from New York: I look forward to continuing cooperation between the United Nations and the Holy See, under the wise leadership of His Holiness Pope Francis. We share many common goals - from the promotion of peace, social justice and human rights, to the eradication of poverty and hunger - all core elements of sustainable development. We also share the conviction that we can only resolve the interconnected challenges of today's world through dialogue. I am certain that His Holiness will continue to build on the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, in the promotion of inter-faith dialogue which is at the heart of the Alliance of Civilizations initiative. 20.28 (19.38) Our blogs editor, Damian Thompson, describes the new pope as a humble man from the New World whose first challenge is to end the scandals: Pope Francis I, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, is a priest of holinesss and tremendous modesty of manner - a man who, until now, has taken the bus to work. His challenge is clear. He needs to learn from Benedict XVI's greatest success - and his greatest failure. The success was the restoration of reverent, mystical worship to the centre of Catholic life, an achievement that has inspired a dynamic generation of young Catholics. The failure was Benedict's inability to reform the corrupt structures of the Roman curia, which should be recognised as the rotten core of the abuse crisis, and which is likely to have loomed large as an issue in the conclave. The historic decision to choose a Pope from the New World will perhaps make that task easier. 20.37 (19.37) He begins with a small joke saying that his brother cardinals had gathered to pick a bishop of Rome "and they have chosen one from far away but here I am." He then asks for prayers for his living predecessor. First and foremost I would like to pray for our emeritus Pope Benedict XVI that Christ and the Madonna watch over him. He continues: Let us begin this journey together, this journey for the Roman Catholic Church. It's a journey of friendship and love and faith between us. Let us pray for one another, let us pray for all the world. Then he asks the crowd to be silent for a moment and pray for him as he accepts this new position. 20.35 (19.25) The curtains open and Pope Francis I, clad in white, appears on the balcony of St Peter's. He is very still giving only small waves to the screaming crowd in front and looks reflective as he stares at the mass of humanity in front of him. 20.21 (19.21) The new pope has named himself Francis after St Francis of Assisi. It's the first time the name has ever been chosen and perhaps there is a symbolism there - St Francis committed himself to a life of poverty and is seen as one of Catholicism's reforming figures. 20.20 (19.20) Bergoglio is the 76-year-old Archbishop of Buenos Aires who became a cardinal in 2001. He was reportedly one of the front runners in 2005 and now appears to have been elected as the first pope from outside of Europe. 20.15 (19.15) Jean-Louis Tauran announces the fateful words "Habemus Papam," or "We have a Pope." But between his soft voice and the roar of the crowd we're not sure who he announced. 20.09 (19.09) The crowd surges at every sign of movement: 20.07 (19.07) Are there hints an Italian has prevailed? asks John Bingham. Italians in the crowd, of whom there are many, believe the signs - including the speed of the vote - augur well for an Italian Pope. And could the marching band at the front know something we don't, as they strike up the Italian national anthem? Opinion is clearly divided, however. The umbrellas dotting the crowd have disappeared, and flags from just about every imaginable country have taken their place. 20.05 (19.05) A reminder of the scene in 2005 when then-cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elevated to the papacy. 20.00 (19.00) The new pope has probably already chosen the name by which he will be known for the rest of his life. Here's a rundown of the most popular, according to the Economist: John (21 popes) Gregory (16) Benedict (16) Clement (14) Innocent (13) 19.54 (18.54) The crowd is electrified despite the dark and the rain. 19.48 (18.48) Benedict XVI appeared on the balcony around 45 minutes after the smoke went up. You can see in this picture he was still wearing a black jumper underneath the white cassock, a guard against the April cold.