Bells are ringing at the Vatican as thousands of faithful Catholics gather in the square to pray, cheer, and tweet.

Social media platforms exploded with activity in the last hour as news of the Catholic Church’s installment of a new Pope was confirmed by the presence of white smoke above the Sistine Chapel.

Today marked the first selection of a new Pope during the modern age of social media. As a result, hundreds of “mobile reporters” in St. Peter’s Square are communicating with the masses through their media’s respective Twitter feeds right now.

Not surprisingly, scant Twitter crashes and outages were reported in the moments that followed the telling release of white smoke.

“Twitter is just as important as TV cameras in the Vatican right now,” says media analyst Mark Byers, who spoke with CNN earlier today.

New pope (the church’s 266th pontiff) succeeds Pope Benedict XVI, who became the first pope to resign in centuries. He stepped down February 28, citing advanced age.