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No Pope announcement yet as black smoke billows from Sistine Chapel
The 133 Catholic cardinals, who elected the new Pope, were locked in ahead of a first vote on Wednesday evening for a successor to Pope Francis
- PUBLISHED: Wed 7 May 2025, 11:15 PM
- By:
- AFP
Thick black smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel's chimney on Wednesday, May 7, according to AFP journalists, in a sign that cardinals failed to elect a new Pope in their first conclave vote.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in St Peter's Square to await the smoke, which came around three hours and 15 minutes after the 133 cardinals were closed in.
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The prelates will now withdraw to the Santa Marta guesthouse where they are staying for the election, before starting to vote again on Thursday.
Under a centuries-old ritual, those aged under 80 vote in secrecy in the Sistine Chapel until one of them secures a two-thirds majority — 89 votes — to be elected Pope.
As is the tradition, white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel means that a new Pope has been chosen with a senior cardinal confirming it by saying 'Habemus Papam' in Latin, which means 'We have a new Pope.'
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The cardinals had earlier gathered to pray in the Vatican's Pauline Chapel ahead of the conclave, according to images broadcast live by the Holy See.
The cardinals had then moved in procession to the Sistine Chapel a few metres away, where they were locked in ahead of a first vote on Wednesday evening for a successor to Pope Francis.
This conclave is the largest and the most international ever, assembling cardinals from around 70 countries — many of whom did not previously know each other.
There is no clear frontrunner to succeed the charismatic Argentine Francis, with the cardinals representing a range of progressive and conservative traditions within the Church.