Vatican City — Argentine Jorge Bergoglio has been elected pope, the first ever from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium. He has chosen to go by the name "Pope Francis."

After announcing "Habemus Papum" – "We have a pope!" – a cardinal standing on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday revealed the identity of the new pontiff, using his Latin name. Bergoglio had reportedly finished second in the 2005 conclave that produced Benedict XVI – who last month became the first pope to resign in 600 years.

The 76-year-old archbishop of Buenos Aires has spent nearly his entire career at home in Argentina, overseeing churches and shoe-leather priests.

One of five children, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was the son of an Italian railway worker and his wife. He has been the Archbishop of Buenos Aires since 1998 and was a front-runner after the death of Pope John Paul II. Known as a conservative, he has recommended that his clergy oppose both abortion and the legalization of gay marriage but does teach the importance of respecting individuals who are gay.