White smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney of Vatican City, signalling a pope has been elected to lead the Catholic Church. The White Smoke means the winner secured at least 89 votes of the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.
Cheers erupted from the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the historic White Smoke moment.
The identity of the new pope will be revealed shortly, when a senior cardinal steps onto the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica and proclaims “Habemus Papam!” — Latin for “We have a pope!”.
He will then announce the pope’s birth name in Latin, followed by the papal name he has selected. Soon after, the newly elected pope is expected to appear publicly for the first time and deliver a blessing from the same balcony.
Black smoke
On Wednesday night, black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney shortly after 9 pm, signaling that the first round of voting in the papal conclave had not produced a winner. The smoke appeared about four and a half hours after the cardinals entered the chapel and took their oaths, marking the official start of the secretive process.
The delay sparked speculation: Had the vote been redone? Did someone fall ill or need a translation? Was the pre-vote meditation by the papal preacher unusually long?
“They probably need more time,” Associated Press quoted 63-year-old Costanza Ranaldi, who had traveled from Pescara in Italy’s Abruzzo region to witness the historic moment.
Although some cardinals anticipated a swift conclave, history suggests otherwise. Over the past century, the election of a pope has typically taken anywhere from three to 14 ballots. John Paul I was elected on the fourth ballot in 1978, John Paul II on the eighth, and Pope Francis on the fifth in 2013.
The conclave began Wednesday afternoon with all the ceremony expected of such a centuries-old tradition. Cardinals in red cassocks, Latin prayers and chants, the presence of the Swiss Guard, and the dramatic sealing of the Sistine Chapel doors marked the beginning of a deeply symbolic process.
