We're watching dramatic scenes coming in from St Peter's Square in Rome, where the continuous peals of the Sistine Chapel's bells confirm that the cardinals of the Roman Catholic church have chosen their next Pope.
There was some confusion earlier, as everyone tried to work out what colour the smoke emerging from that slender chimney atop the Chapel was - nobody wanted a repeat of yesterday's episode where the crowd cheered what was intended to be black smoke. The bells this afternoon confirmed what the white smoke was telling us, and now people are racing from around Rome to join what is already another huge crowd.
Now we wait to find out who the new Pope is; he is expected to appear on a balcony above St Peter's square shortly. Sky News, trying to explain what's going on (and fill in time, one suspects) is now entertaining us with a 3D graphic which shows a cardinal, looking much like a South Park figure, moving through the Vatican's ornate halls before appearing - still looking like a South Park figure - on the balcony, in his new robes.
The pictures they're showing of smiling, cheering crowds are somewhat more appropriate, one feels.
Update: The Pope Blog greets the election with a banner headline: "HABEMUS PAPAM!"
