The process to elect a new pope began on Wednesday, May 7, in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, where 133 cardinal-electors from 70 countries gathered to choose a successor to Pope Francis.
As the day’s first and only vote concluded, all eyes turned to the chimney at the top of the Sistine Chapel waiting for a smoke signal revealing the outcome of a sacred and highly secretive process.
Around 9 p.m., the chimney released black smoke, signaling that no pope was elected on the first day of the conclave. When a new pontiff is elected, the chimney will release white smoke.
Cardinals cast their votes to elect the next pope, and the results are announced not with words, but with smoke, black if no decision has been made, and white if a new pope has been chosen.
During the conclave, when the cardinals are locked inside the Sistine Chapel during the election process, they are cut off from all external communication to preserve the secrecy and sanctity of their task when electing the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Each cardinal swears an oath of absolute secrecy; any breach is punishable by excommunication. In every voting round, cardinals discreetly write the name of their chosen candidate, disguise their handwriting, and cast the ballot onto a ceremonial plate before tipping it into an urn. Three scrutineers then tally the votes.
Four rounds of voting are held each day, two in the morning, two in the afternoon. If no candidate secures a two-thirds-plus-one majority, the ballots are burned with chemicals to produce black smoke, signaling to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square that no pope has been elected yet.
If voting remains deadlocked after three days, the cardinals pause for a day of prayer and reflection before resuming.
When a cardinal finally achieves the required majority, he is asked if he accepts the election. A simple “Accepto” (Latin for “I accept”) makes it official. The new pope then selects his papal name and changes into papal garments in a nearby chamber.
White smoke, this time free of additives, rises from the Sistine Chapel chimney, and the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica ring out to declare, “Habemus Papam” (“We have a pope”).
The origin of using smoke signals
The tradition of using smoke signals during the papal conclave dates back centuries. Burning the ballots to produce smoke began as early as 1417, serving as a means to communicate the outcome of the secretive voting process to the public.
Initially, the color of the smoke was not standardized, leading to confusion. It wasn’t until 1914 that the Holy See began using white smoke to indicate a successful election and black smoke for an inconclusive vote.
To ensure clarity, chemical additives were introduced in 2005 to produce distinctly colored smoke.
Two stoves are connected to a single copper chimney, with one in charge of burning the ballots, and the other for emitting the color-coded smoke.
The black smoke is created using a blend of potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulfur and white smoke uses lactose and chlorate making the effect unmistakable, according to Vatican News.
Despite the ringing bells and the proclamation of “Habemus Papam,” it’s still the smoke that offers the first communication of the election outcomes.
