It comes after the 133 cardinal electors sent up a black smoke signal on May 7, 2025 (Wednesday) evening as they continue their work to elect a successor to Pope Francis. Black smoke has poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signalling that no new Pope has been elected. It is the second smoke signal from the secret conclave after the 133 cardinal electors sent up a black smoke signal on Wednesday evening as they work to come to a two-thirds majority to elect a successor to Pope Francis.
The smoke is the only public sign of what is happening during the Papal Conclave, after the cardinals handed in their phones and took oaths of secrecy while the Vatican shut down mobile phone towers to protect the deliberations. The assembled cardinals vote up to four times a day, while crowds gather in St Peter’s Square to wait for the white smoke that signals the Conclave has selected a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month aged 88.
The conclave began with a mass in St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning, and senior cardinal Giovanni Battista Re prayed for the cardinals to be enlightened to choose “the Pope our time needs”. Cardinals Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle have been among the favorites to succeed Pope Francis who made liberal change to the Catholic Church during his 12-year papacy.
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