The Winner of the "Popestakes" Is...

Argentine Jorge Bergoglio, who will adopt the name Pope Francis. He is the first pope to come from the Americas, and the first pope from outside of Europe in a millenium.

He replaces Benedict XVI, who has decided to retire from the post.

Pope Francis is 76 years old:

The choice of Bergoglio was announced by French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran with the Latin words "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam" ("I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope"

Francis becomes the 266th pontiff in the Church's 2,000-year history at a time of great crisis and difficulty. Although a conservative he is seen as a reformer and was not among the small group of frontrunners identified before the election.

He also went against one of the main assumptions before the election, that the new pope would be relatively young.

He might hang around for awhile. After all, I don't believe his predecessor thought HE'D be around that long after Pope John Paul II died.