The conservative Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany has been elected the 265th Pope and will be known as Benedict XVI.

The new pontiff , who will conduct his inaugural mass on Sunday, appeared on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City at 1748 BST to rapturous applause and cheers from the tens of thousands who had gathered in St Peter's Square below.

"After the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me as a simple, humble worker of the Lord. I am consoled by the fact that the Lord knows how to act even with insufficient instruments and above all I trust in your prayers," he told the crowd.

The 78-year-old Vatican doctrinal "enforcer" was regarded a favourite, but his election has still come as a surprise to many observers who predicted either a return to an Italian pontiff or one from Latin America, where the majority of the world's Catholics live.

Although he chaired the conclave in his previous capacity as Dean of the College of Cardinals, his appointment was initially opposed by liberal cardinals who felt that he would be a divisive force in the Roman Catholic Church.

But the 115 cardinals of the conclave elected him to succeed John Paul II after five rounds of voting, a decision that was heralded by white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel shortly after 1700 BST.

Richard Owen, Rome Correspondent of The Times, said that there was confusion initially because it was not clear whether the smoke was black or white, then one news agency put out a flash saying that it was white, but that was not accompanied by bells.

"When the bells finally did sound, St Peter's Basilica was filled with a human tide of people. Thousands and thousands of people flocked to be here for this surprisingly early announcement," he said.

The election was a swift one in historic terms. The 115 cardinals entered the conclave on Monday and spent just one night in the Vatican hotel that John Paul II had specially constructed for the vote that would come after his death.

Cardinal Ratzinger's reputation was one of an inflexible Grand Inquisitor and he was controversial also for his Second World War record as a member — though mandatory — of the Hitler Youth. His supporters said that he was 14 at the time and came from an anti-Nazi family.

The cardinal is the oldest to be named pope since Clement XII, who was also 78 when he was chosen in 1730, and he is the first German pope since Victor II (1055-1057).

Roger Boyes, Berlin Correspondent for The Times, said: "Germans were surprised at his election, and now they’re quite proud. Germans really never thought that there would never be another pope from the land of Martin Luther, who was so defiant to the papacy.

"Ratzinger himself is known as an arch conservative, whereas most German Catholics are quite liberal. Only 15 per cent of Germans go to mass, it’s a very sceptical country in religious terms, apart from in small pockets, like Bavaria, where he comes from."

Cardinal Ratzinger was ordained a priest, along with his brother, in 1951 and then spent several years teaching theology. In 1977 he was appointed bishop of Munich and elevated to cardinal three months later by Pope Paul VI.

Pope John Paul II named Cardinal Ratzinger the Leader of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1981, and he was then responsible for enforcing Catholic orthodoxy and was one of the key men in the drive to shore up the faith of the world’s Roman Catholics. He speaks several languages, among them Italian and English, as well as his native German.

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