Black smoke over Sistine Chapel indicates no new pope

Yahoo

07-05-2025

The conclave to elect the next pope will resume on Thursday after black smoke billowed from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday evening, indicating that no clear winner had emerged.
The inconclusive result was expected, given that for the past few centuries, no pope has been chosen after the first round of voting.
Thousands of Catholic faithful, people on holiday in Rome and the simply curious packed into St Peter's Square, their gaze fixed on the slender chimney as black smoke poured out.
The 133 cardinals sequestered inside cast their first vote at the end of a day laden with pomp, ceremony and ancient rites, which came two weeks after the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88.
Wearing blood red cassocks and white mitres, the cardinals earlier attended a special Mass inside St Peter's Basilica.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals, told the assembled 'princes of the church' that the next pope must be someone up to the challenge of confronting global uncertainty and 'this difficult and complex turning point in history'.
He told his peers that they must set aside 'every personal consideration' in choosing the new pontiff and keep in mind 'only ... the good of the Church and of humanity'.
A prayer for guidance
Later, the cardinals gathered in the Pauline Chapel inside the Vatican for prayer and reflection, beseeching the Holy Spirit to guide them as they set about choosing a successor to the Argentinian pontiff, who died on Easter Monday.
Outside the chapel stood a phalanx of Swiss Guards, resplendent in their yellow and blue striped uniforms and red-plumed helmets.
The cardinals, who come from five continents and more than 70 countries, then processed solemnly out of the Pauline Chapel, chanting the meditative 'Litany of the Saints'.
The hymn implores the saints to help them choose a new leader for the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church.
Pacing slowly across marble-inlaid floors, past splendid frescoes, they entered the Sistine Chapel, where the walls and ceilings are covered in frescoes by Renaissance masters including Michelangelo, Botticelli and Pinturicchio.
They walked slowly up to the altar, over which looms Michelangelo's imposing Last Judgment, a huge fresco showing some souls ascending to Heaven – and others plunging down into Hell.
After bowing to the altar, they took their places at tables that had been laid out on either side of the chapel.
They wore heavy crucifixes around their necks. One of them will, within just a few days, become the next pope – he just does not know it yet.
Vatican 'PM' among candidates
The procession was led by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who as secretary of state under Pope Francis was the de facto prime minister of the Vatican City State.
He led the cardinals in chanting the Latin invocation of the Holy Spirit: 'Veni, Creator Spiritus'.
Cardinal Parolin is considered one of the leading 'papabile' – an Italian word that translates as 'pope-able', meaning a cardinal with a strong chance of being elected pontiff.
Among the other favourites are Luis Antonio Tagle, a cardinal from the Philippines who would become the first Asian pope if elected; Pierbattista Pizzaballa, an Italian who is the Patriarch of Jerusalem; and the Hungarian cardinal Peter Erdo, a favourite of conservatives.
Other contenders include Jean-Marc Aveline from Marseilles, who would become the first French pope since the 14th century, and Robert Prevost from Chicago, who would be the first pope from the US.
The conclave is being cast broadly as a battle between progressive cardinals keen to perpetuate the achievements of Francis's 12-year papacy, and conservatives anxious to roll back many of his initiatives.
Gregorio Rosa Chavez, a cardinal from El Salvador, does not think that his brother cardinals will retreat from Pope Francis's vision for the Church.
'There will not be a step backwards,' he told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper.
'It is not possible. Whoever is chosen, I think it will be a pope who continues the work begun by Francis.'
Francis appointed 108 of the 133 cardinals, suggesting that the progressives may predominate, but nothing is assured in a Vatican conclave.
Francis himself was an outsider during the last conclave and his election was a surprise to many.
Nobody knows how many days it will take the cardinals to elect the 267th pope. Francis and his predecessor, Benedict XVI, were both elected in two days, but the longest conclave in history, in the 13th century, dragged on for nearly three years.
The fact that there are so many cardinals, and that many of them have never met each other, could suggest a long conclave.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, thinks it could take up to four days.
'People say, 'Oh, do you have a problem choosing a candidate?'' he told a US radio network.
'I'm saying, 'Yeah, not because there's not enough of them, but because there's quite a few of them.'
'And so when I go through the guys that impressed me, the guys I've got to know, the guys about whom I've consulted…there'd be a half dozen or so guys that I could say, 'He would not be bad.''
Cardinals shut off from world
Before the conclave began, the cardinals swore an oath of secrecy. Then came the moment of truth: Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Vatican's master of liturgical ceremonies, pronounced the Latin words 'extra omnes' – 'everybody out'.
Dozens of white-robed priests, ushers, officials and members of the Vatican choir filed out of the chapel in silence.
With a metallic clank, the ancient wooden doors to the 15th century chapel were pulled shut.
Two Swiss Guards stood to attention outside, their long halberds at the ready.
The cardinals were cloistered inside, shut off from the outside world – they are forbidden to have mobile phones or any other forms of communication and the chapel has been swept for listening devices.
Concealed from the world, the cardinals filled out ballots marked 'Eligo in Summum Pontificem…' (I elect as Supreme Pontiff…).
They placed them on a silver plate, from where they were tipped into an urn which rested on a table in front of The Last Judgment.
Three cardinals known as scrutineers announced each vote to the assembled conclave after each round.
Just one vote was held on Wednesday, but from Thursday onwards there will be four votes a day.
08:13 PM BST
That's all for today
Thank you for following The Telegraph's live coverage of the first day of the conclave.
The 133 cardinals will continue to vote for a new pontiff on Thursday, when they will hold four separate ballots.
08:10 PM BST
Black smoke indicates no new pope
Black smoke has emerged from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, indicating that a new pope has not been elected.
Black smoke rises from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel
People gather in St Peter's Square on the first day of the conclave - Guglielmo Mangiapane
07:56 PM BST
Feverish speculation about delay
There is feverish speculation as to why it is taking so long for smoke to emerge from the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel.
One theory is that a 90-year-old cardinal who gave a 'meditation' to the cardinals after the doors of the chapel were closed may have delivered a particularly long address.
The meditation was to be given by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa.
Once delivered, he was to leave the chapel and let the voting begin.
07:34 PM BST
Still no sign of black smoke...
There is still no sign of black smoke coming from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel.
Tens of thousands have gathered to watch the chimney in St Peter's Square.
07:04 PM BST
About 30,000 people gather to watch chimney
There are now around 30,000 people in and around St Peter's Square, according to the authorities.
The size of the crowd is increasing by the minute, according to Ansa, Italy's national news agency.
People are straining to see the chimney from which the smoke will come – it is slim and a long way away, perched high on the roof of the Sistine Chapel.
A seagull has become the unlikely star of the live video feed of the chimney.
06:36 PM BST
All eyes on the chimney in St Peter's Square
There is a sense of acute anticipation in St Peter's Square as thousands of people keep their eyes fixed on the chimney installed on top of the Sistine Chapel.
No smoke has yet emerged.
The piazza is packed, as is the broad avenue behind it which leads towards the Tiber River.
People have got their mobile phones out, taking videos and photos of the slim chimney.
At one point it was almost impossible to see because the sun was directly behind it.
05:30 PM BST
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05:22 PM BST
Pictured: Papal master of ceremonies closes chapel doors
The doors are closed after 'Everyone out' is called
05:16 PM BST
Thousands gather to watch the ceremony on screen
Thousands of people have gathered outside in St Peter's Square to watch the proceedings, which were streamed live on several large screens.
There was applause for the declaration of 'Extra omnes' or 'Everyone out'.
Many hope to see the smoke that will come out of the Sistine Chapel's chimney when the cardinals have voted.
'It would be perfect, lovely to be here for a new pope,' said Irish tourist Catriona Hawe, 60.
'Francis was brilliant, progressive, a man of the people, though he didn't move things forward as quickly as I would have liked,' she said.
'The Church won't be doing itself any favours if it elects someone conservative.'
Besides outward displays of faith, the conclave has also generated a festive atmosphere, with one young woman in the square showing off her black miniature poodle dressed as the pope.
A giant screen in St Peter's Basilica shows cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel - AP
04:53 PM BST
'A woman's place is in the conclave'
A group of women lit pink smoke flares on a hill behind the Vatican on Wednesday in protest against the male-dominated Catholic church just hours before 133 men gathered in the Sistine Chapel to choose the next pope.
'While the world may be waiting for white or black smoke, our pink smoke is a signal that women should be included in every aspect of the life of the Church,' said Kate McElwee, the executive director of Women's Ordination Conference, adding, 'A woman's place is in the conclave.'
The women said they have been arrested in the past when they have brought their protests closer to St Peter's Square so they were holding their pink smoke event on the Ganicolo Hill behind the Vatican with the cupola on St Peter's Basilica visible in the distance.
04:49 PM BST
Cardinals took oath of secrecy before conclave
Cardinals took an oath of secrecy in the Sistine Chapel before being locked into the conclave to vote for the next pope.
After reciting together the oath in Latin, each of the 133 'Princes of the Church' advanced to the altar to take his personal vow, his hand on the Bible.
The cardinals pledged to maintain secrecy about what's about to transpire and to not allow any interference from outsiders to influence their voting.
When the rituals came to an end, the master of papal liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, then called out 'Extra omnes,' Latin for 'all out.'
Anyone not eligible to vote then leaves and the chapel doors close, allowing the work to begin.
04:47 PM BST
Vatican official orders non-cardinals to leave Sistine Chapel
A Vatican official has said 'extra omnes,' the Latin phrase to tell non-cardinals to leave the Sistine Chapel so voting can start.
04:39 PM BST
Frontrunners to become the next Pope
04:36 PM BST
'Charming accents' mark diversity of cardinals
The cardinals are continuing to take their oaths, which reporters in the Sistine Chapel have described as 'charming' owing to the diversity in accents.
The current conclave to elect a new pope is notably diverse, with cardinals from as far afield as Mongolia and Tonga.
Almost every member of the College of Cardinals can understand Italian, and most can speak the language as well.
The official proceedings of a papal conclave are conducted in Latin and are translated into Italian.
03:45 PM BST
Cardinals chant 'Litany of the Saints' as they file into chapel
Catholic cardinals have filed into the Sistine Chapel for the start of the conclave to elect Francis's successor.
As they processed into the chapel adorned with Michelangelo's 'The Last Judgement,' the 133 cardinals chanted the meditative 'Litany of the Saints.'
The hymn implores the saints to help the cardinals find a new leader of the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church.
A line of Swiss Guards stood at attention as the cardinals took their turn to bow at the altar.
The doors will soon be closed
The cardinals arrve at the chapel
03:16 PM BST
Cardinal Timothy, of New York, shares a thought before the first vote
03:11 PM BST
Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin prays at Holy Mass
Cardinal Pietro Parolin - Anadolu
03:09 PM BST
Prayers for 'a young pope'
Lisette Herrera, a 54-year-old tourist from the Dominican Republic, was deeply moved to find herself by chance in the heart of Roman Catholicism as the church plans to select a new pope.
On Wednesday morning, she decided to skip seeing the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain and other sites to pray in St Peter's Square, even though she realises there is no telling how long the conclave could take.
'I'm praying the Holy Spirit for a young pope who would stay with us for a long time,' she said. 'I don't believe in conclave politics, I just feel that the Holy Spirit is here and that's all we need to know.'
02:41 PM BST
Pictured: Cardinals gather for the final mass
St Peter's Basilica - AFP
02:26 PM BST
Salvadorian cardinal says new pontiff will 'continue the work of Francis'
Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez, from Salvador, said he did not think the cardinals would retreat from Francis' vision for the Church.
'There will not be a step backwards,' Rosa Chavez, 82, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
'It is not possible. Whoever is chosen, I think it will be a pope who continues the work begun by Francis,' he said.
01:47 PM BST
Pictured: Nuns take part in celebrations near the Vatican
Nuns from Spain gather near the Vatican - Francisco Seco/AP
Nuns buy ice creams in Rome - Hannah McKay/REUTERS
01:38 PM BST
'Diversity' should be central to next Pope's ethos, says senior cardinal
A senior cardinal has urged the cardinals who will vote in the conclave to elect a pope who prizes unity in diversity, and puts personal interests aside.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, outlined the marching orders for the 133 men who will enter the Sistine Chapel.
In his sermon at the final pre-conclave Mass at St Peter's Basilica, Re reminded the cardinals that a conclave represented the highest human and church responsibility, and that they must set aside 'every personal consideration.'
He said the new pope should foster communion and unity within the church.
The new pope will face diplomatic balancing acts, as well as Church infighting, the continued fall-out from the clerical child abuse scandal, and increasingly empty pews.
Battista Re urged the cardinals to pray for 'a pope who knows how best to awaken the consciences of all... in today's society, characterised by great technological progress but which tends to forget God'.
01:30 PM BST
Three British cardinals to vote
Three cardinals from Britain are taking part in the conclave this year.
Cardinals Vincent Nichols, Timothy Radcliffe and Rome-based Arthur Roche are among the 133 electors involved in selecting the next pontiff.
Cardinal Nichols, the leader of England and Wales' Catholics and Archbishop of Westminster, had called on people to pray for the cardinals as they embark on the conclave, adding that he feels 'quite intimidated' knowing the world is watching to see who they choose.
He said numerous lengthy pre-conclave meetings had allowed cardinals to get 'to know each other and to appreciate the variety of gifts, insights and dedication among us'.
He added that cardinals are entering the meeting 'in a profound spirit of prayer and attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit who will, I am sure, guide our decisions'.
The 79-year-old cardinal, from Liverpool, added: 'I do hope that Catholics and indeed all people will say a prayer asking for God's blessing at this important moment.'
He has previously effectively ruled himself out of the running to be the next pontiff, describing himself as 'too old, not capable'.
Cardinal Radcliffe, 79, of the Oxford community, was made a cardinal by Pope Francis last December.
01:17 PM BST
Key timings to look out for this afternoon
2.45pm – Cardinals will begin to leave their rooms for a procession to the Sistine Chapel
3.10pm – Cardinals will gather to pray before heading to the chapel singing Veni Creator Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit)
4.45pm – Oath of secrecy to be taken by the cardinals inside the chapel
6pm – Smoke expected after the first round of voting
01:00 PM BST
Thousands of police officers secure the Vatican
The Vatican's Swiss Guards and Italian Carabinieri have been mobilised as Rome moves to protect the cardinals and people who have amassed to watch the election in St Peter's Square.
As of this morning, police were carrying out enhanced checks on people entering the area.
More than 4,000 officers have been deployed, with an anti-drone system and signal jammers to block communication between the cardinals and the outside world once they enter into their secret assembly.
'The safety of the cardinals is a priority, but so is that of the faithful outside,' said Fabio Ciciliano, the head of Italy's Civil Protection agency.
12:34 PM BST
Pictured: Inside St Peter's Basilica
The Holy Mass at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican - LESSANDRO DI MEO/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK
The special Mass 'Pro eligendo papa' or 'for the election of the Pope' - VATICAN MEDIA
Cardinals file into St Peter's church - VATICAN MEDIA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
12:24 PM BST
Controversy over missing cardinal
As cardinals prepare to enter the Sistine Chapel for the conclave later today, there is controversy over one who is missing.
John Njue, a cardinal from Kenya, is not in Rome and claims he was not invited to the conclave.
At 79, he is eligible to vote in the election, which will decide who is the next pope.
But he will not be among the 133 cardinals who enter the Sistine Chapel this afternoon.
He claims he did not receive an official summons to Rome. 'The fact is that I have not been invited,' he told the Kenyan press.
But the Holy See disputes that, insisting that they were told that the cardinal was too ill to travel from Kenya to Rome.
Matteo Bruni, the Vatican spokesman, said: 'Cardinal electors can participate 'de iure' (by law). They don't need an invitation to be present.'
The Catholic Church in Kenya also said the cardinal was ill. In a statement, Philip Anyolo, the archbishop of Nairobi, said that 'owing to his current health condition, His Eminence John Cardinal Njue will be unable to travel to Rome and take part in the conclave.'
12:13 PM BST
Scheming cardinals plot to block another progressive pope
St Peter's Square on the eve of a papal conclave is so busy, I almost trod on a nun. The little grey mouse squealed and ran away.
Thousands of Catholics are in town for the election of Francis's successor – willing, praying for the cardinals to make the 'correct' choice.
Read the full analysis here
11:58 AM BST
How the voting works
The 133 cardinals who enter the Sistine Chapel this afternoon will hold just one vote as they decide who should be elected the successor to Pope Francis.
It is highly unlikely that they will come to a consensus with the first vote, so black smoke (signifying nobody has been elected) is expected to billow from the chimney that has been installed on the roof of the chapel.
The smoke is likely to emerge sometime after 7pm local time (6pm in the UK), according to Matteo Bruni, the Vatican spokesman.
After today, there will be four votes a day until a pope is elected.
Nobody knows how long the process will take...apart from the Holy Spirit, perhaps.
White smoke will signal that the new pope has been chosen.
11:54 AM BST
A visual guide to the election
The process to choose the new pontiff is laden with rituals and traditions.
Each day, dressed in striking scarlet robes, cardinals will make their way from their lodgings in Casa Santa Marta to the chapel, where votes are cast beneath the frescoes.
Here's our visual guide of how the cardinals will spend the next few days in the conclave.
Map data: Google
11:46 AM BST
Pictured: St Peter's Square as the Holy Mass is celebrated
St Peter's Square in The Vatican - STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re leads the Holy Mass this morning - Murad Sezer/REUTERS
A man prays in St Peter's Square - Eloisa Lopez/REUTERS
11:39 AM BST
Pictured: Sistine Chapel ready to host the papal conclave
The Sistine Chapel - X
11:34 AM BST
What is a conclave?
The conclave is the arcane process of choosing the next pope.
Cardinals from around the world will gather beneath the frescoed ceilings of the Sistine Chapel in the heart of the Vatican, where they will vote for Pope Francis's successor by secret ballot.
The chapel will have been swept for bugs and other recording devices and cardinals will be banned from using laptops or mobile phones.
For the last conclave in 2013, which followed the historic resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, an oath of secrecy was taken by members of the Swiss Guard and Vatican gendarmerie, the city state's police force, as well as the doctors and nurses who assisted elderly or infirm cardinals.
A Vatican master of ceremonies will pronounce the words 'Extra omnes' (Everyone out), ordering staff and aides to leave the chapel so that only the cardinal electors remain.
11:30 AM BST
What's happened today so far?
Cardinals attended a morning mass at St. Peter's Basilica where the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, led the prayers.
During the service Cardinal Re, 91, called for electors to find the wisdom, counsel and understanding to choose a worthy new shepherd.
The mass has now concluded and electors have returned to their residences to rest for a few hours ahead of the conclave.
Later in the afternoon, the Vatican has said that all communications around the Holy See will be jammed as they prepare to withdraw from the outside world for their secret and sacred task ahead.
The cardinals are likely to cast their first vote later in the day.
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