From Khatami’s surprise greeting to how to pick a new Pope

After the first vote is held on the first afternoon, the cardinals’ ballots are placed into one of two small ovens inside the Sistine Chapel and burned. A plume of smoke flows up a chimney and into the air over St. Peter’s Square, watched for eagerly by the faithful, and the world’s media. If that round of voting yields no winner, the smoke will be black — a sign to the world that the Holy See remains vacant. How long can a conclave last?

The voting process will repeat itself the following day, with the cardinals holding two ballots in the morning and two in the afternoon. If the morning sessions are inconclusive, black smoke will be seen again around lunchtime — early morning on the U.S. East Coast. If there’s still no winner following the afternoon votes, more black smoke will stream into the early evening Roman sky. If there’s no two-thirds majority after three days, voting is paused for a day to allow time for prayer, discussion and a “brief spiritual exhortation” by the senior cardinal in the Order of Deacons.

April 26, 2025 | 6:02 am