Black smoke was seen rising from the Vatican this morning after two rounds of voting for the new Pope, with the cardinals to engage in more rounds of voting this afternoon
Cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel again this morning for more rounds of votes after their first secretive meeting failed to select a new Pope to lead the Catholic Church.
The group of 133 cardinals did not reach a decision in the first vote of the conclave after the process, which is shrouded in secrecy and ceremony, took longer than expected. And black smoke emerged again shortly before 11am today, meaning the second round of voting had also been unsuccessful.
The black smoke had also emerged at around 8pm on Wednesday, some four hours after the cardinals solemnly entered the Sistine Chapel, took their oaths of secrecy and formally opened the centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis to lead the 1.4 billion-member church.
‘He who enters the conclave as Pope leaves as cardinal’ warning to favourite
Speculation is rife over who will be the next Pope with many having said that the favourite is Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The 70-year-old is a leading candidate by nature of his office. He was Francis’ secretary of state, the Vatican No. 2, so known to every cardinal.
But there is an old proverb that Italians keep repeating: “He who enters the conclave as Pope leaves as a cardinal.”
The saying warns against overconfidence among frontrunners in papal elections – those widely expected to win often do not.
In Rome, the phrase is heard frequently, from casual conversations to live TV broadcasts, where commentators use it to temper speculation.
It’s a reminder of the secrecy and unpredictability of the conclave, where decisions are made behind locked doors, and outcomes can surprise even seasoned Vatican watchers.
Cardinal caught on hot mic telling Pope favourite ‘double best wishes’
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, expressed hope that a new pope would be elected within hours, according to reports in major Italian newspapers.
“I hope that when I return to Rome this evening, I’ll find the white smoke already rising,” he said, speaking from the city of Pompei on Thursday.
Re is 91 years old, which makes him too old to participate in the conclave of 133 cardinals who are electing the next pope and who all have to be under 80.
However, he has been prominent and delivered a Mass on Wednesday before the cardinals began their conclave. As the Mass ended, he was caught on a hot mic saying to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, viewed as a favorite for the papacy: “auguri doppi” (“double best wishes”).
Italians discussed whether this was a customary gesture acknowledging Parolin’s role as the most senior cardinal present in the conclave, or if it might have been an informal endorsement of Parolin’s candidacy for the papacy.
Seagull steals show as huge crowd waits to see smoke from conclave
A seagull watching down on the 45,000 crowd as they waited for smoke stole the show on Wednesday night.
In the end it was a disappointment for the onlookers as after a long wait there was black smoke that poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney meaning that no new Pope had been chosen.
But the crowd was entertained by the gull that appeared to revel in the attention sitting aloft on the roof and occasionally flying off before returning with a morsel of food in its beaks. Sometimes it was joined by fellow feathered friends for the prime spot.
The seagulls went viral on social media with many comments. “I’m watching Sky News waiting for the smoke, and my cats decided that the seagull on the Sistine Chapel’s roof is the single most exciting thing ever,” wrote one X user accompanying a photo of their cats waving paws at the birds on the TV screen.
More seagulls were spotted this morning before black smoke again came from the chimney.
Seagulls perched by the Sistine Chapel chimney (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
What happens next as black smoke seen rising from the conclave?
Cardinals now head back to Santa Marta where they are staying during the process to elect a Pope and they will have lunch.
After a break the cardinals will return to the Apostolic Palace which is the Pope’s official residence at 1.45pm UK time.
And from 2.30pm the cardinals will again start the voting process to find the Pope at the Sistine Chapel. We are most likely to see smoke appear after 6pm with the voting window ending 30 minutes later when the cardinals head back to Santa Marta.
As each ballot goes by we obviously get closer to getting a new Pope chosen. John Paul I – the pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 – was elected on the third ballot. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013.
Cries of ‘mamma mia’ as large crowd at St Peter’s Square disappointed by colour of smoke
There was a massive cry of disappointment from the crowd as the black smoke came out from the chimney in bright daylight.
One woman behind me cried “Mamma Mia”. Thousands packed into St Peter’s Square to see the smoke emerge.
It was much hotter today and many people had umbrellas, used for rain yesterday, to protect them from the sun today.
Some carried flags from their home countries. I saw four from Poland alone and a couple from Brazil. Several groups walked slowly up to the square singing behind a cross.
But others were dressed as if they were going to the beach. One man wore at Roma shirt with Francesco Totti’s name on the back.
No surprise as smoke rises again from Vatican conclave
Two-thirds of Cardinals are yet to decide on the new Pope to replace Francis as black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney.
It was not expected that a new Pope would be picked so early in the conclave but hopes are now rising that a decision could be made this afternoon.
Voting will happen four times daily in the coming days, twice in the morning and twice in the evening, according to the Vatican’s news agency.
Each day, the smoke will indicate to those watching outside where the cardinals are in the process. When white smoke finally appears, we will know a new leader of the Catholic church has been chosen.
No Pope has been chosen yet by cardinals as black smoke has again poured from the Sistine Chapel.
Favourites to be elected the next Pope by cardinals in the conclave
The process of choosing a new Pope is shrouded in secrecy and, although Francis chose 80% of the voters, continuity is far from certain.
As a result, identifying front-runners has been a challenge. But here are some names that keep appearing on lists of “papabile” options, or cardinals having the qualities to be pope.
- Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 70, is a leading Italian by nature of his office. He was Francis’ secretary of state, the Vatican No. 2, so known to every cardinal.
- Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle, 67, is a top candidate to be history’s first Asian pope. He had a similarly high-profile job, heading the Vatican’s evangelization office responsible for the Catholic Church in much of the developing world.
- Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, 72, the archbishop of Budapest, is a leading candidate representing the more conservative wing of the church.
Smoke took longer than expected on Wednesday night with people leaving disappointed
Many faithful are hoping that the second day of the conclave will give the church and the world a new pope after a first vote produced dark smoke on Wednesday evening, sending a disappointed crowd to disperse in all directions in Rome.
Earlier, some of the people had started thinking that the long wait was the sign cardinals had reached a decision in a first vote, which would be unprecedented in the modern era.
“They probably need more time,” said Costanza Ranaldi, a 63-year-old who travelled from Pescara in Italy’s Abruzzo region to be present at the historic moment.
Chiara Pironi, a 26-year-old who lives in Rome, said she would keep returning to St. Peter’s Square until a new Pope is chosen. “I don’t want to miss that moment,” she said. There is an old proverb that Italians keep repeating: “He who enters the conclave as Pope leaves as a cardinal.”
The saying warns against overconfidence among frontrunners in papal elections – those widely expected to win often do not. In Rome, the phrase is heard frequently, from casual conversations to live TV broadcasts, where commentators use it to temper speculation.