At St. Mary of the Assumption school in Chicago’s southern suburbs, Robert Prevost was quiet, kind and studious. Mostly, he wanted to be a priest. It was the 1960s, and the parish school was a hub for Catholic families in the working-class neighborhood.

The Roman Catholic cardinals gathered at the Vatican in Rome have chosen a new pope to lead the church’s 1.4 billion faithful, announcing their decision on Thursday with a swirl of white smoke from a smokestack above the Sistine Chapel.

After two days of contemplation and balloting, a new Pope has been elected. White smoke emanating from the Sistine Chapel chimney today to inform the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics and everyone else that the conclave of 133 cardinals have determined a new Bishop of Rome.