UPDATE: Pope Francis I is new leader of Catholic Church

VATICAN CITY - Argentinian cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, is elected Pope Francis I, the new world leader of the Catholic Church.

A white plume of smoke from the Sistine Chapel Wednesday afternoon signaled to the world the Catholic Church has a new pope.

The bells rang at St. Peter’s Basilica as cheers erupted from the crowds in Rome.

To win, Pope Francis I needed 77 votes, or two-thirds of the 115 cardinals who voted.

Officials said the two days it has taken the cardinals to chose a new pope is one of the shortest conclaves in recent history.