White smoke was spotted from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel after the cardinals at the Vatican elected a new pope on the second and final day of the papal conclave. Several locals and social media users cheered ‘Habemus Papam’. The new pope will be announced by cardinal Dominique Mamberti.
The smoke signal means the winner secured at least 89 votes of the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis. The name will be announced later, when Dominique Mamberti utters the words “Habemus Papam!” — Latin for “We have a pope!” — from the loggia of the basilica. The cardinal then reads the winner’s birth name in Latin and reveals the name he has chosen to be called.
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The new pope is then expected to make his first public appearance and impart a blessing from the same loggia.
Who is Dominique Mamberti?
Dominique Mamberti, a 73-year-old French cardinal, is the current protodeacon of the College of Cardinals, tasked with delivering the iconic "Habemus Papam" announcement from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Born on March 7, 1952, in Marrakech, Morocco, to French parents, Mamberti grew up in Vico, Corsica, and spent part of his childhood in Courtelevant, France, where his mother hailed from.
{{/usCountry}}Dominique Mamberti, a 73-year-old French cardinal, is the current protodeacon of the College of Cardinals, tasked with delivering the iconic "Habemus Papam" announcement from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Born on March 7, 1952, in Marrakech, Morocco, to French parents, Mamberti grew up in Vico, Corsica, and spent part of his childhood in Courtelevant, France, where his mother hailed from.
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He studied law in Strasbourg and Paris, earned a degree in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Ajaccio in 1981. Fluent in French, Italian, and Arabic, Mamberti is known for his discretion and expertise in international diplomacy.
Mamberti’s career in the Vatican’s diplomatic service began in 1986, with postings in Algeria, Chile, Lebanon, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and the United Nations in New York. In 2002, Pope John Paul II appointed him titular archbishop of Sagona and apostolic nuncio to Sudan and Somalia, later adding Eritrea. From 2006 to 2014, he served as the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States—effectively its foreign minister—under Popes Benedict XVI and Francis, navigating complex global issues and signing bilateral agreements with countries like Cape Verde and Serbia.
In 2014, Pope Francis named him prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican’s highest judicial authority, succeeding Cardinal Raymond Burke. He was elevated to cardinal in 2015, assigned the titular church of Santo Spirito in Sassia.