According to Marco Politi’s account in Pope Francis Among the Wolves, the 2013 conclave was anti-Italian. There were 115 cardinal electors from around the world choosing the successor to Benedict XVI. The resignation of Benedict XVI had caused shock among the people and also caused the period before the conclave to be unusually long. When selecting the best successor, age was considered to play a role; a younger man was preferred. Bergoglio was not thought to be a front runner as the conclave approached. Although he was well-known and was quite respected, he was much older than what had been hoped for a new pope. Jorge formed his own idea of what he thought the new pope should be like. He looked for “a man of prayer, a pontiff convinced that Christ, not he, was the top man in the church, a bishop with the capacity to show affection to persons and create communion. Last, he should be able to clean up the Roman Curia.”

            On March 12, 2013, the 115 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel and all swore to maintain secrecy. At each round of voting, the cardinals each secretly wrote their choice for pope on a ballot and placed it in an urn present at the front of the room. After the first round of voting, at 7:41 p.m., a black smoke signal was seen by all watching outside. This meant no decision had been made. On day two of the conclave, at 11:40 a.m. another round of black smoke was seen rising from the chimney, indicating that the second and third rounds of voting were inconclusive. It was between the second and third rounds of voting that Bergoglio took the lead in the race. At 7:06 p.m. on March 13, 2013 white smoke appeared from the chimney, signifying that a pope had been chosen, Jorge Mario Bergoglio. It is noteworthy that when the votes for Bergoglio reached the needed two thirds and he was declared the new pope, his friend São Paulo hugged him and said: ‘Do not forget the poor.’ It was from that moment that Bergoglio knew he would take the name Francis after Saint Francis of Assisi [vii].