Catholic Church elects new Pope

White smoke has been detected from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, signalling the election of a new Pope by the Catholic church.

Recall that Pope Francis died last month at the age of 88, leaving the Catholic Church with a vacant role to fill.

The identity of the new head of the Catholic Church has not been made public.

The white smoke flowed from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican on the second day of the Conclave shortly after 1pm on Thursday.

The white smoke signalled that one of the candidates for the pontificate had obtained the necessary two-thirds majority for election.