Anne Arundel Reacts to Francis as New Pope

The crowd in St. Peter's Square erupted into cheers Wednesday evening as white smoke poured from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, signaling the election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, as Pope Francis, the 266th supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church.

Francis, chosen from among the 115 cardinal electors that participated in the two-day conclave, was introduced moments later from the balcony in front of St. Peter's Basilica.

Jorge Bergoglio becomes the first pope from South America.

Pope Francis succeeds Pope Benedict XVI, who stepped down on Feb. 28.

The election of the new pope filled Rev. Jeffrey Dauses with joy and a sense of optimism for the Catholic Church, he said.

Dauses is the pastor at St. Andrew by the Bay Parish in Broadneck, and Patch caught up with him just moments after Bergoglio was announced as the new pontiff.

"Wow," Dauses said. "It's so unanticipated. Everybody who heard him and his first words as Pope had a sense of incredible joy and hope for future of the church."

Click here to read more about Dauses' reaction to the new pope.

Patch Senior Editor John Davisson contributed to this article.

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