Black smoke has emerged from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel after first day of voting.
According to Reuters, the black smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday evening, May 7, 2025, signalling that the cardinals have not come to a decision and the new pope has not been elected yet.
133 cardinals from all around the world gathered in the Vatican for the secret ballot behind the shut doors to elect the new head of the Catholic Church. During the voting, they are not allowed to communicate with the outside world until a new pope is elected.
When will a new pope be elected?
Tens of thousands of people gathered in St Peter's Square for the first vote of the conclave on the Wednesday evening. The crowd waited for more than three hours for the white smoke, but after a lengthy wait when the black smoke was billowed from the chimney, they returned to their houses.
As per the Vatican, around 45,000 people gathered at St Peter’s Square, which was emptied minutes after the results.
Black smoke means that no candidate has won the majority during the electoral vote, and the voting process will be continued on Thursday, May 8, 2025. The cardinals will vote again and again until two-thirds of them reach a consensus on who should be the next leader of the Catholic Church.
Notably, there will be more rounds of voting tomorrow and going forward if no decision is made.
