Habemus Papam
Habemus Papam refers to the announcement given in Latin by the Senior Cardinal Deacon when a new Pope has been chosen.
The announcement is given from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. After the announcement, the new pope meets the people and he gives his first Urbi et Orbi blessing to the crowd.
The format for the announcement is:
- Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
- Habemus Papam!
- Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum,
- Dominum [First Name],
- Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem [ Last name ],
- Qui sibi nomen imposuit [ Papal name ].
This, in English, means:
- I announce to you a great joy:
- We have a Pope!
- The most eminent and most reverend Lord,
- the Lord [First Name],
- Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church [ Last name ],
- Who takes to himself the name of [ Papal name ].
In the Habemus Papam given by Jorge Cardinal Medina Estévez on 19 April 2005 upon the election of Pope Benedict XVI, the announcement was made after a greeting (Dear Brothers and Sisters) in several languages (Italian, Spanish, French, German, and English).
List of cardinals who have given the announcement
| Cardinal | Pope | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 15th century | ||
| Francesco Piccolomini | Pope Innocent VIII | 1484 |
| Pope Alexander VI | 1492 | |
| 16th century | ||
| Raffaele Riario | Pope Pius III | 1503 |
| Pope Julius II | ||
| Alessandro Farnese | Pope Leo X | 1513 |
| Marco Cornaro | Pope Hadrian VI | 1522 |
| Pope Clement VII | 1523 | |
| Innocenzo Cybo | Pope Paul III | 1534 |
| Pope Julius III | 1550 | |
| Francesco Pisani | Pope Marcellus II | 1555 |
| Pope Paul IV | ||
| Alessandro Farnese | Pope Pius IV | 1559 |
| Giulio Feltre della Rovere | Pope Pius V | 1566 |
| Girolamo Simoncelli | Pope Gregory XIII | 1572 |
| Luigi d'Este | Pope Sixtus V | 1585 |
| Francesco Sforza di Santa Fiora | Pope Urban VII | 1590 |
| Andreas von Österreich | Pope Gregory XIV | 1590 |
| Pope Innocent IX | 1591 | |
| Pope Clement VIII | 1592 | |
| 17th century | ||
| Francesco Sforza di Santa Fiora | Pope Leo XI | 1605 |
| Pope Paul V | ||
| Andrea Baroni Peretti Montalto | Pope Gregory XV | 1621 |
| Alessandro d'Este | Pope Urban VIII | 1623 |
| Francesco Barberini | Pope Innocent X | 1644 |
| Giangiacomo Teodoro Trivulzio | Pope Alexander VII | 1655 |
| Rinaldo d'Este | Pope Clement IX | 1667 |
| Francesco Maidalchini | Pope Clement X | 1670 |
| Pope Innocent XI | 1676 | |
| Pope Alexander VIII | 1689 | |
| Urbano Sacchetti | Pope Innocent XII | 1691 |
| 18th century | ||
| Benedetto Pamphilj | Pope Clement XI | 1700 |
| Pope Innocent XIII | 1721 | |
| Pope Benedict XIII | 1724 | |
| Lorenzo Altieri | Pope Clement XII | 1730 |
| Carlo Maria Marini | Pope Benedict XIV | 1740 |
| Alessandro Albani | Pope Clement XIII | 1758 |
| Pope Clement XIV | 1769 | |
| Pope Pius VI | 1775 | |
| 19th century | ||
| Antonio Doria Pamphili | Pope Pius VII | 1800 |
| Fabrizio Ruffo | Pope Leo XII | 1823 |
| Giuseppe Albani | Pope Pius VIII | 1829 |
| Pope Gregory XVI | 1831 | |
| Tommaso Riario Sforza | Pope Pius IX | 1846 |
| Prospero Caterini | Pope Leo XIII | 1878 |
| 20th century | ||
| Luigi Macchi | Pope Pius X | 1903 |
| Francesco Salesio Della Volpe | Pope Benedict XV | 1914 |
| Gaetano Bisleti | Pope Pius XI | 1922 |
| Camillo Caccia Dominioni | Pope Pius XII | 1939 |
| Nicola Canali | Pope John XXIII | 1958 |
| Alfredo Ottaviani | Pope Paul VI | 1963 |
| Pericle Felici | Pope John Paul I | 1978 |
| Pope John Paul II | ||
| 21st century | ||
| Jorge Medina | Pope Benedict XVI | 2005 |
| Jean-Louis Tauran | Pope Francis | 2013 |
| Dominique Mamberti | Pope Leo XIV | 2025 |