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Cardinals elect new pope: White smoke emerges from Sistine Chapel
White smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel on the second day of the conclave on Thursday, signaling a new pope has been elected. The selection for the new pope, to replace the late Pope Francis, will soon introduce himself on the balcony of St. Peter’s Square. The white smoke was visible around 6 p.m. local...
White smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel on the second day of the conclave on Thursday, signaling a new pope has been elected.
The selection for the new pope, to replace the late Pope Francis, will soon introduce himself on the balcony of St. Peter’s Square.
The white smoke was visible around 6 p.m. local time in Rome, indicating that a cardinal received the two-thirds majority vote needed to be elected.
Cardinals entered the conclave early on Wednesday and were housed in a residence in the Vatican, cut off from receiving information outside of the isolated period. All cardinals under the age of 80 could vote in the secret ballot and this conclave was the largest in the history of the church, with 133 cardinals voting.
Black smoke emerged on Wednesday evening and again midday on Thursday, indicating that no selection had been made in the first two rounds of voting.
Francis was elected pope in 2013 after five ballots over two days of the conclave.
He died on April 21 at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta after a long series of health complications stemming from a chronic lung disease.
