As white smoke billowed out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, the first Latin American to lead the Roman Catholic Church was chosen. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina has been elected the 266th successor of St. Peter and will lead 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide.

At 11:05 a.m. yesterday, the white smoke signified the appointment of a new pope.

Bergoglio, who is 75 years old, made his first appearance after thousands of people waited outside of the Sistine Chapel for more than an hour.

Former Archbishop of New York Cardinal Edward Egan was the first to react on NBC News’ live coverage.

“I could not be more delighted,” Egan said, describing the new pope as a man of great compassion.

Egan said he knows Bergoglio personally and calls him a friend. He also said that even though the new pope is 76 years old, he is not feeble for his age.

Vatican City was filled with cheers of “Habemus Papam!” which translates to “We have a pope!”

“I would like to thank you for your embrace,” Bergoglio, robed in white, said from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Bergoglio said the cardinals “have chosen one from far away, but here I am.”

As the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio is the first non-European pope since Columbus came to the New World, according to The New York Times.

According to NBC News, 39 percent of the world’s Catholics live in Latin America. ABC News reported there are 31 million Catholics specifically in Argentina.

Bergoglio received a master’s degree in chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires.

“His lifestyle is sober and austere,” Francesca Ambrogetti, a coauthor of a biography about Bergogli said.

According to Reuters, Bergoglio was born into a middle-class family of seven, and his father and mother were Italian immigrants in Argentina. Bergoglio’s first language is Spanish, but he spoke from the balcony in Italian.

The Catholic Church was left without a leader after former Pope Benedict XVI retired in February.