After two days of contemplation and balloting, a new Pope has been elected.

White smoke emanating from the Sistine Chapel chimney today to inform the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics and everyone else that the conclave of 133 cardinals have determined a new Bishop of Rome. Who the successor to St. Peter and the progressive Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 on April 21, is has not yet been made public.

Having said that, as cable news and the internet goes wall-to-wall white smoke, the unveiling of the newly appointed Pontiff is expected within a hour or so to appear on the balcony. At that time the world will learn what name the now elevated former cardinal has chosen for his Papacy.

In a ceremony reaching back to 1274 in its present form, a Pope is elected from the cardinals’ ranks with a required two-thirds majority. Achieving that majority is what leads...