Smoke of black color emitted again from Vatican on the second day of the conclave, no fresh pope chosen yet.
Smoke Signals from the Sistine Chapel:
Once again, dark plumes of smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel at around 11:50 AM on Thursday, May 8, indicating that the two rounds of voting by the cardinals in the morning had not resulted in the election of a new pope.
Explore more | Potential Popes: 13 Cardinals on the WatchlistAs they remain isolated and shrouded in secrecy, the cardinals are scheduled for another round of voting in the afternoon. The black smoke, a symbol of non-election, will billow again around 7 PM if neither of the two rounds has produced a two-thirds majority or an immediate burst of white smoke if one of the votes has indeed resulted in an election.
The smoky spectacle marked its first appearance on Wednesday evening as well, around 9 PM. With the first vote unlikely to secure the 89 votes needed for a two-thirds majority by Wednesday, the cardinals were locked away in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on Wednesday afternoon.
Following a mass in St. Peter's Basilica in the morning, clad in their red and white robes, the prelates united for a communal prayer in the Pauline Chapel before making their way in a slow procession to the neighboring chapel.
As they took their oath, hand upon the Gospel, to keep the conclave's secret, under penalty of excommunication, the master of pontifical liturgical celebrations, Diego Ravelli, uttered the Latin phrase "Extra omnes!" ("Everyone out!") to expel all unauthorized personnel (including officials, nurses, and religious) from this cloistered meeting.
At 5:45 PM, the doors sealed the "Church Princes" within, surrounded by the breathtaking fresco of Michelangelo's Last Judgment, while the world awaited smoke signals from the chimney, heralding the end of each session: black for a lack of consensus and white for the announcement of a new pope.
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Rewired Content::The cardinals' voting, taking place under the strictest secrecy within the Vatican walls, continued for another day without producing a majority. The smoke signals, a long-standing tradition within the Vatican, signaled that the elections were still ongoing, with the worldwide audience waiting with bated breath.
Originating from the first session the previous evening, the black smoke billowed out of the Sistine Chapel once more around 11:50 AM, indicating that the new pope had not yet emerged from the voting rounds.
Despite the anticipation that the two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, would be reached on the first day itself, the chances seemed slim, given that the first vote had ended without the necessary votes.
The cardinals, dressed in their distinguishing red and white robes, gathered together for a common prayer in the Pauline Chapel before proceeding to the neighboring Sistine Chapel for the voting rounds, enacting a symbolic rite of unity before entering into the isolating secrecy of the conclave.
With a hand upon the Gospel, they pledged their oath in Latin to keep the conclave's secret, under the penalty of excommunication. All unauthorized personnel were expelled from the meeting, with the master of pontifical liturgical celebrations uttering the Latin phrase "Extra omnes!" ("Everyone out!") to seal the doors on the magnificent fresco of the Last Judgment by Michelangelo.
This annual tradition continued, as the world awaited the smoke signals that would herald the end of each voting round, providing updates on the election process.
[1] "Nine Cardinals Who Could Become the Next Pope," The New Yorker
[2] "How the Conclave Works," National Catholic Reporter
[4] "Papal Conclave 2025: What to Know," USA Today
- To the worldwide audience, it was unfortunate that on Wednesday, the first smoke signal from the Sistine Chapel was black, indicating that the cardinals had not elected a new pope after the first round of voting.
- As the cardinals prepare for more rounds of voting, it seems highly unlikely that they will secure the 89 votes needed for a two-thirds majority in time for Wednesday's evening session.
- The cardinals are expected to continue their voting rounds on Wednesday afternoon, keeping themselves isolated while the world awaits the smoke signals from the Sistine Chapel that could potentially announce a new pope.
- As the cardinals indulge in entertainment such as pop-culture discussions to help ease the monotonous nature of their isolation, their condition and the secrecy surrounding the voting remain as crucial as ever for the outcome of the papal elections.
