03/13/2013 | 2:32 PM
A crowd enthralled cheers the selection of a pope
ROME—A collective cheer rose from beneath thousands of umbrellas, as onlookers mashed in St. Peter’s Square saw white smoke billow Wednesday evening from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signaling the selection of a leader for the Roman Catholic Church.
The basilica bells rang out, phone cameras flashed, and a flock of white birds flew over the roof of the Sistine Chapel. “I gotta call home, I gotta call home,” cried out Margaret Lynaugh, of New Jersey, who has been waiting in the rain for each of the votes since the conclave started.
The bells rang for another five minutes as the crowd moved gradually closer to the basilica to see the red-curtained balcony where the new pope will appear.
