All eyes on the Sistine Chapel chimney (Picture: BBC News)

Following last month’s almost-unprecedented resignation of Benedict XVI, cardinals in the Vatican today elected a new Pope.

The final debate among 115 voting cardinals was held earlier this week before the first secret ballots were cast yesterday, leading to our first glimpse of the fabled black smoke.

As is the tradition, the winning candidate – who needed to earn 77 votes – was announced via white smoke from a copper chimney, with the smoke itself generated by the ballot papers being burned.

Before there was white smoke, there was mostly no smoke. In between that, not a lot (bar our look at the sporting world’s Top 10 Popes and what all the stylish Cardinals are wearing this season), but where there’s a major news event, there’s a live blog.




Relive the day’s nail-biting smoke action from @richjm and @jackdearlove below.