VATICAN CITY, April 19: Cardinals on Tuesday elected Germany’s Joseph Ratzinger new leader of the world’s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics, succeeding Pope John Paul II. Ratzinger, 78, the Church’s 265th pontiff, will take the name of Benedict XVI. Pope John Paul II died on April 2. The new pope appeared on the balcony of St Peter’s soon after his election, smiling broadly and greeting the crowds in the square. “I entrust myself to your prayers,” he said.

Clad in white papal vestments and a short red cape, he then delivered his first blessing to the city of Rome and the world:

“Dear brothers and sisters,

“After the Great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble worker in the Lord’s vineyard.

“I am comforted by the fact that the Lord knows how to work and act even with insufficient instruments. And above all, I entrust myself to your prayers.

“With the joy of the risen Lord and confidence in his constant help, we will go forward. The Lord will help us and Mary, his most holy mother, will be alongside us.

Thank you.”

Ratzinger’s election indicated both that the cardinals wanted to maintain John Paul’s strict Church orthodoxy and also to have a short papacy after the Polish pope’s 26-year reign — the third longest in Church history.

Born in Bavaria on April 16, 1927, Ratzinger was a leading theology professor and then archbishop of Munich before taking over the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1981.

The election on only the second day of a conclave in the Vatican’s frescoed Sistine Chapel was signalled by white smoke from the chapel chimney and the tolling of the bells of St Peter’s Basilica.

CONFUSION: But there was 10 minutes of confusion over the colour of the smoke, which initially seemed grey, before the bells began pealing to signal the successful election.