[[White smoke appearing over the Sistine Chapel in Rome was the first sign that a new Pope John Paul II]]had been elected by the Conclave of Cardinals. A few minutes later, the third longest-serving pontiff in historybells of St. Peter's Basilica began ringing, confirming the election. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger has died at been selected as the successor to Pope John Paul II as the age 265th Pope of 84the Roman Catholic Church, and will be known as Pope Benedict XVI. The Pope died in his private apartment at election of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger follows the Vatican at 2137 local time (1937 GMT) on Saturday, surrounded by his closest Polish aides. - death of [[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4399715.stm BBC - Pope John Paul II dies|Pope John Paul II on April 2]].