BREAKING: Conclave Elects New Pope

Cardinals have selected the 267th leader of the Catholic Church, the Vatican has reported.

Naijaonpoint reports that the white smoke has risen above the Sistine Chapel, the signal that cardinals have chosen a new pope on the second day of the conclave. His identity, and the name he will take as pontiff, will be revealed soon.

There are 133 voting cardinals, who had all been sequestered inside the Vatican during the conclave. Any one of them needed two-thirds of the vote to become the next pope.

During the papal conclave, the cardinals were barred from leaving or having any contact with the outside world as they selected the next leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

The new pope will emerge onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to greet his flock.

Rapturous applause, yelling and plenty of tears in St. Peter’s Square at the sign of white smoke, NBCNews reports.

“I’m so happy, it’s so incredible to be here at this moment,” said Roseleia Cordeiro, 42, from Brazil, weeping while embracing a group of friends. “I don’t know how to express myself but I am grateful to God for this moment.”