What happens when the Pope is elected?

As soon as one of the Cardinals has achieved the two-thirds majority (in this case that would be the votes from 77 of his brother electors), the junior Cardinal Deacon, His Eminence, James Michael Harvey will summon the Secretary of the College and the Master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies, Monsignor Guido Marini and will call them back to the Sistine Chapel.

In the name of all the Cardinal electors, His Eminence, Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re, the senior Cardinal-bishop will approach the Cardinal who has been elected and ask for his consent, saying: Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?  Presuming that he answers in the affirmative, Cardinal Re will ask the next question: By what name do you wish to be called? The Pope will then declare the name by which he will be known during his pontificate.

The Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, who acts as Notary will then summon two of the other Masters of Ceremonies to act as witnesses, and will proceed immediately to draw up a document certifying the acceptance of the new Pontiff and specifying the name which he will assume.

After his acceptance, the person elected, if he has already received episcopal ordination, is immediately Bishop of the Church of Rome, true Pope and Head of the College of Bishops. He thus acquires and can exercise full and supreme power over the universal Church.  If he is not already a Bishop, his Episcopal Ordination takes place immediately. (UDG, 68)

The ballots used for the final round of voting will be burned, without the addition of any chemicals so that the smoke which appears above the chimney is white, thus announcing to the world that the Pope has validly been elected.

Inside the Sistine Chapel, the newly-elected Pope will be accompanied by the Masters of Ceremonies to a small robing room located just behind Michelangelo's fresco of the Last Judgement, known as the room of tears, where they will help him to remove his Cardinalatial robes and to don the pontifical white robes.  There are three sizes of pontifical soutanes waiting there (large, medium and small) as well as a white moir, a silk facia and zochetto (skull cap), a lace rochet (like the white lace surplice worn over the Cardinatial red soutane), a crimson silk mozetta (or shoulder cape), and of course the red morocco leather slippers and the elaborately embroidered red velvet and gold stole which is used only for the newly-elected Pontiff's appearance on the central loggia of the Vatican Basilica on the day of his election.

Once he returns to the Sistine Chapel, there will be a reading from the Gospel of Matthew (16:13-19): You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.  Then, one by one in order of their rank, the Cardinals will approach the newly-elected Pope to greet him, to pay homage and to promise their obedience to him.  When each of the Cardinal electors has had a chance to do this, they will all join their voices to sing the Te Deum in an act of solemn thanksgiving to God.

While the Cardinals are greeting the newly-elected Bishop of Rome, the senior Cardinal-deacon, His Eminence, Jean-Louis Tauran will appear on the central balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica and announce to the world that a canonical election has taken place.  He will also announce the name of the Cardinal who has been elected and the name by which he will be known.  This proclamation is made using the Latin formula: Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum.  Habamus papam!  

Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum (he speaks the Christian name of the newly-elected Pontiff), Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem (he speaks the Pope's surname), qui sibi nomen imposuit (he speaks the choice of Pontifical name).  This famous phrase is translated as: I announce to you a great joy.  We have a Pope!  The most Eminent and most Reverend Lord, Lord N., Cardinal N. of the Holy Roman Church, who has taken the name N.

When the singing of the Te Deum is complete, the new Holy Father proceeds to the Pauline Chapel to pray before the Blessed Sacrament before making his appearance on the central balcony of the Basilica, where he greets the faithful who are gathered in the piazza below and imparts his first benediction Urbi et orbi (to the City and to the World).

In 2005, when Benedict XVI was elected there was a period of 45 minutes between the appearance of the white smoke and the arrival of the Cardinal Deacon on the central balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica.  A further ten minutes passed once the announcement was made before His Holiness appeared on the balcony to impart his blessing.