No new pope as black smoke appears atop Sistine Chapel
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Black smoke rising from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, indicating a new pope had not been elected, on May 8.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
VATICAN CITY - Black smoke billowed from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on May 8, signalling that the cardinals locked in a conclave have not yet chosen a new pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
Thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square, waiting for smoke to pour from the flue on the chapel’s roof, which it did shortly before noon (6pm Singapore time). It marked the end of the morning voting session, when two ballots are held.
The 133 cardinals under the age of 80 began the heavily ritualised and secret process on May 7,
They burn the ballot papers and mix them with chemicals to show how proceedings are going – black signalling no pope, and white announcing a new pontiff.
The cardinals held an initial inconclusive vote on the evening of May 7
The red-hatted “princes of the Church” will keep on voting up to four times a day until someone wins a two-thirds majority.
“Francis was a great guy, down to earth, humble, and I hope they will choose someone just like him,” said Mr Tom Barbitta, from the US state of North Carolina. He is on holiday in Italy with his wife Susan and came to the square to see the smoke.
No pope in modern times has been elected on the first attempt, so the black smoke on May 7 was widely expected. But given recent history, a final result is possible from the second day.
Pope Francis, the first pope from Latin America, was elected on the evening of the second day of the last conclave, held in 2013, as was his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, in 2005.
Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who is 91 and so cannot participate in the conclave, told Italian reporters that he hoped the new pope would be elected by the evening of May 8.
Geographic diversity
A record 133 cardinals from 70 countries are involved in the 2025 ballot, up from 115 from 48 nations in the last conclave – growth that reflects efforts by Pope Francis to extend the global reach of the Church.
While no clear favourite has emerged, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are considered the front runners.
If it becomes obvious that neither can win, votes are expected to shift to other contenders, with the electors possibly coalescing around geography, doctrinal affinity or common languages.
Other “papabili” – potential papal candidates
During the conclave, cardinals are sequestered from the world and sworn to secrecy, their phones and computers confiscated, while they are shuttled between the Sistine Chapel for voting and two Vatican guesthouses to sleep and dine.
Before the conclave began, some cardinals offered different assessments of what they are looking for in the next pope. Pope Francis’ relatively liberal pontificate was marked by bitter divisions between traditionalists and modernisers.
Some have urged continuity with his vision of greater openness and reform, while others long to turn the clock back and embrace fading traditions. Many have indicated they want a more predictable, measured papacy. REUTERS
