Pope Francis was elected pope on March 13, 2013, on the second day of the papal conclave, becoming the 266th pope and the first Jesuit and first Latin American to hold the office. He was 76 years old at the time.
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The conclave began on March 12, 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was chosen on the fifth ballot (Vatican official biography; Britannica; named international press, March 2013).
That’s the short answer. Below is the complete dated record of how that day came together, and what happened after it.
Key Facts Strip
Elected: March 13, 2013
Age at election: 76
Conclave began: March 12, 2013
Ballots taken: Five
Announced by: Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran
Preceded by: Pope Benedict XVI (resigned February 28, 2013)
Papal name chosen: Francis, after Saint Francis of Assisi
The Path to the Conclave
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the eldest of five children to Italian immigrant parents (Britannica; Vatican biography). He trained as a chemical technician before turning to the priesthood, and at 21 he lost part of one lung to pneumonia. He entered the Jesuit novitiate the following year.
- 1958 — Joined the Society of Jesus, age 21
- 1969 — Ordained a Catholic priest, age 32
- 1998 — Named Archbishop of Buenos Aires, age 61
- 2001 — Made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II, age 64
- 2005 — A reported contender in the conclave that elected Benedict XVI, age 68
- February 11, 2013 — Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation, effective February 28
- February 28, 2013 — Benedict XVI’s resignation takes effect, opening the papal seat
- March 12, 2013 — The conclave to choose his successor opens in the Sistine Chapel
By the time cardinals gathered in March 2013, Bergoglio was already a familiar name in Vatican circles. He had reportedly placed as the runner-up to Benedict XVI in the 2005 conclave, which meant his candidacy in 2013 carried real weight before a single ballot was cast.
Inside the Conclave: The Dated Timeline
The conclave that elected Pope Francis ran two days and produced five ballots — a fast outcome by historical standards. Named milestones from those 48 hours:
- March 12, 2013 (evening) — 115 cardinal electors enter the Sistine Chapel; a single ballot is held and produces black smoke, meaning no pope is chosen.
- March 13, 2013 (morning) — Two more ballots are held; both end in black smoke.
- March 13, 2013 (afternoon) — On the fifth ballot overall, Bergoglio secures the required two-thirds majority.
- March 13, 2013, 7:06 p.m. local time — White smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling a pope has been chosen.
- March 13, 2013, roughly 8:12 p.m. — Cardinal protodeacon Jean-Louis Tauran appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and announces “Habemus Papam,” naming Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new pope.
- March 13, 2013, shortly after — Bergoglio appears on the balcony, takes the name Francis, and asks the crowd to pray for him before offering a blessing.
- March 19, 2013 — Francis is formally installed in a Mass in St. Peter’s Square, marking the start of his ministry.
Which Moment Actually Moved the Story
The fifth ballot on the afternoon of March 13 is the turning point. Two days of voting had already produced four rounds without a decision, which is typical of modern conclaves, but the fifth ballot closed the gap fast enough that Bergoglio’s name went from leading contender to confirmed pope within a single day. His choice of the name Francis, announced minutes later on the balcony, set the tone for the papacy before he had spoken a single formal word to the public — a name no pope had used before him, tied to a saint known for renouncing wealth.
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What We Still Don’t Have Full Numbers On
The Vatican does not release individual ballot counts from a conclave, so the exact vote tally that gave Bergoglio the two-thirds majority on the fifth ballot has never been made public and likely never will be, since conclave proceedings are bound by oath to secrecy. Reporting from the days after the election also varied slightly on the precise minute white smoke appeared versus when Tauran stepped onto the balcony, with most outlets placing the gap at just over an hour but without a single confirmed timestamp.
How the 2013 Conclave Compares to Recent Ones
Conclave length and the age of the pope elected vary from one papacy to the next. Here’s how the conclave that chose Francis stacks up against the two before it, using named-source figures only.
| Conclave Year | Pope Elected | Age at Election | Ballots Taken | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Pope Francis | 76 | 5 | Vatican biography; named press, 2013 |
| 2005 | Pope Benedict XVI | 78 | 4 | Vatican records |
| 1978 (October) | Pope John Paul II | 58 | 8 | Vatican records |
Francis’s conclave was one ballot longer than the one that chose Benedict XVI but roughly half the length of the one that produced John Paul II in October 1978. At 76, Francis was younger than Benedict XVI had been in 2005 but considerably older than John Paul II was in 1978.
What Changed in the Days After the Election
Francis broke from tradition almost immediately after his election, and those early choices carried through the rest of his papacy.
- March 13, 2013 (night of election) — Rather than being driven back to the Vatican in the papal car reserved for a new pope, Francis reportedly rode the bus back with the other cardinals.
- March 14, 2013 — He personally paid his hotel bill at the clergy residence where he had stayed before the conclave, a detail widely reported as an early sign of his approach to the office.
- March 19, 2013 — At his installation Mass, he asked for a simpler ceremony than past inaugurations, a request tied to the same instinct that later led him to decline the traditional papal apartments in favor of the Casa Santa Marta guesthouse.
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Why the Election Mattered
Pope Francis’s election on March 13, 2013, marked several firsts at once: the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the Americas, and the first non-European pope in more than 1,200 years. Those firsts shaped how his papacy was covered from day one, and they’re a large part of why the exact date and mechanics of his election remain a frequently searched fact more than a decade later. He has gone on to serve for over thirteen years, from that March afternoon in 2013 to the present day, continuing his papacy well into his late 80s.
Frequently Asked Questions
When exactly was Pope Francis elected?
He was elected on March 13, 2013, on the fifth ballot of a conclave that began the previous day.
How old was Pope Francis when he was elected?
He was 76 years old, having been born on December 17, 1936.
How many ballots did it take to elect Pope Francis?
Five ballots across two days: one on the evening of March 12 and four more on March 13.
Who announced Pope Francis’s election?
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the cardinal protodeacon, made the “Habemus Papam” announcement from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Why was Bergoglio’s election considered historic?
He became the first Jesuit pope, the first from Latin America, and the first from the Americas in the Church’s history.
Did Pope Francis choose his name right after the vote?
Yes. He selected the name Francis, after Saint Francis of Assisi, and used it in his first appearance on the balcony minutes after the vote concluded.
When was Pope Francis formally installed after being elected?
His installation Mass took place on March 19, 2013, six days after the conclave chose him.
Disclaimer: These details reflect publicly available reporting and records — not confirmed statements from the individuals involved.
