When will the next pope be elected? Watch the Sistine Chapel smoke live
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Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways
The Brief
The College of Cardinals will begin the secretive voting process of choosing a new pope on Wednesday, May 7.
Ballots are burned at the end of each voting session – black smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney means no decision, while smoke indicates that a new pope has been chosen.
FOX 5 DC will have a 24/7 LIVE look at the Sistine Chapel.
The College of Cardinals will begin the secretive voting process of choosing a new pope on Wednesday, May 7, and FOX 5 DC will have a 24/7 LIVE look at the Sistine Chapel.
Conclave live stream
***FOX 5 DC will have a 24/7 LIVE look at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City as cardinal electors hold a conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor. You can watch in the media player above, or the YouTube player below.
Ballots are burned at the end of each voting session – black smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney means no decision, while smoke indicates that a new pope has been chosen.
Papal conclave schedule of events
What we know
All 133 cardinal electors will attend a Eucharistic celebration in the morning, according to Vatican News.In the afternoon, electors will head to the Sistine Chapel where they will take an oath of secrecy.
Following the oath, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations will deliver a meditation. During this time, electors can reflect on the importance of choosing their new pontiff.
READ MORE: Conclave schedule: How the Catholic church picks a new pope
Prayers are recited and anyone with last-minute questions are permitted to ask them at this point. Once electors are clear on the procedures and rules, the election process starts.
READ MORE: White smoke vs. black smoke: What it means for the pope
White smoke vs. black smoke: What it means
All eyes are on the copper chimney of the Sistine Chapel.
The release of black smoke from the Sistine Chapel signals that the cardinals voting to choose the new pope have not yet reached the two-thirds majority needed to secure a decision.
The College of Cardinals will cast as many as four ballots in a single day for the next pope. After each vote, the ballots are burned and smoke is released from the chapel's chimney as a signal to the throngs holding vigil in St. Peter's Square.
Simply put, black smoke, or umata nera in Italian, indicates that no pope has been elected, while white smoke, or fumata bianca, will indicate that the cardinals have chosen the next head of the Catholic Church.
READ MORE: The pope's regnal name: What it is and why it matters
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MARCH 13: White smoke is seen from the roof of the Sistine Chapel indicating that the College of Cardinals have elected a new Pope on March 13, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI's successor - the 266th Pontiff - has been selected by the College of Cardinals in Conclave in the Sistine Chapel. (Photo by)
If three days pass with no pope elected, voting can be suspended for a day to allow the cardinals time for reflection before the next round of ballots are cast.
READ MORE: Remembering Pope Francis' visit to DC in 2015
When does the conclave start?
The backstory
By tradition, the conclave must begin 15–20 days after the death or resignation of the pope. Francis died on Monday, April 21.
Big picture view
The College of Cardinals that will elect a new pope includes members from far corners of the globe whom Francis named over his 12-year papacy to bring in new points of view of the Catholic Church hierarchy.
READ MORE: How do religions choose their leaders? What to know as Catholics prepare for next pope
Saint Peter's statue and cardinals during the funeral ceremony of Pope Francis at Saint Peter's Square in Vatican on April 26, 2025. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Many have spent little or no time in Rome getting to know their colleagues, injecting some uncertainty into a process that requires two-thirds of the voting-age cardinals to coalesce behind a single candidate.
There are a total of 135 cardinal electors — 108 of whom were appointed by Francis — and the last 20 were appointed in early December. Only cardinals under 80 are eligible to vote, and it is not clear how many of the 135 will participate.
READ MORE: Trump's AI image of himself as pope draws criticism ahead of conclave
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