(With Video) Suwanee Reacts to New Pope: 'Exciting Time for All Catholics'

It did not take Gwinnett Chamber Vice President Nick Masino long Wednesday to react to the news that the world's Catholics have a new pope.

"It's an exciting time for all Catholics," Masino, a former Suwanee mayor, said via email shortly after Pope Francis appeared publicly. Earlier Wednesday, white smoke had billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, signaling that the cardinals had arrived at a decision.

"The new pontiff has challenges that need to be addressed.  The church has a bright future if they are dealt with effectively," Masino added.

Masino attends St. Monica's in Duluth, and so is one of about 67,700 Catholics in Gwinnett.

"Relevance and modernization," Masino said in elaborating on the "challenges" that the Catholic Church needs to address.

The Huffington Post had the following update on the naming of the new pope:

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio Of Buenos Aires, has been elected to be the 266th pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Francis.

Francis was elected to the papacy after two days of conclave meetings with a total of five ballots cast. Voting in the conclave, which began Tuesday afternoon, is confidential and cardinals were sworn to secrecy, but Francis received at least 77 votes, which is the minimum two-thirds required to become pope. There were 115 cardinals eligible to vote in the conclave. All were under 80 before Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's retirement, as required by Vatican rules. In 2005, when Benedict was elected, it took two days and four votes to elect him.

Francis, whose papacy is effective immediately, will be formally installed in the coming days. It's unclear when the installation Mass will happen, but Vatican spokesman Fr. Frederico Lombardi said earlier on Wednesday that Tuesday, March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, is a possible date.

-- What's your reaction to Pope Francis? Share your thoughts in the comments below.