Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla became the first non-Italian Pope for more than 400 years.

Catholics around the world expressed surprise at the choice of the Archbishop of Krakow as the new Pope, after the death of Pope John Paul I last month. Pope John I had been in office for only 33 days.

Few people had suggested Karol Wojtyla as his possible successor, as he is hardly known outside his native Poland. Karol Wojtyla will take on the title of Pope John Paul II.

After two days and eight votes, the result of the conclusive vote giving a two-thirds majority plus one to the Polish bishop was signalled with a plume of white smoke above the roof of the Sistine Chapel, in accordance with ancient tradition.

The new Pope is also the youngest this century, at 58 years old.

In the early evening, Pope John Paul II appeared before the crowd of about 200,000 who had gathered in St Peter’s Square. He stepped on to the central balcony of St Peter’s to a rapturous ovation from the crowd, and gave his first blessing as Pope.

Then, in a speech that was at times emotional, he spoke on how he had been afraid to accept the nomination, but had done so in obedience to Christ.

Speaking in fluent Italian, he put paid to fears that a non-Italian would not be able to communicate effectively, saying, “in speaking your – our – language, if I make mistakes, then correct me.”

The appointment brought an ecstatic response from Poland, where as Bishop of Krakow Karol Wojtyla took an uncompromising stand against the Communist regime.

More than 80% of Poland’s 35 million people are practising Catholics, maintaining their faith in the face of strong opposition and sometimes brutal suppression from the Communist authorities.

The new Pope warned as recently as last year that the Church was facing the threat of “programmed atheisation” in eastern Europe.