And once the election process for a new pope begins, gatherers will turn upward each day, waiting for black or white smoke to fill the sky. Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21.

And once the election process for a new pope begins, gatherers will turn upward each day, waiting for black or white smoke to fill the sky. Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21.

The black and white smoke that emerges from the Sistine Chapel during a papal conclave is part of a longstanding tradition — although it's no longer just ballots that get burned ...

White or black smoke could be expected around 7-8 p.m. local time (1-2 p.m. ET). If a final decision isn't made the first day, folks can expect the next smoke signal to be shared mid-morning the ...

White or black smoke could be expected around 7-8 p.m. local time (1-2 p.m. ET). If a final decision isn't made the first day, folks can expect the next smoke signal to be shared mid-morning the ...

If a pope is not elected, black smoke emerges from the chimney; if one is chosen, white smoke is released. Black smoke billows out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on May 7, 2025.

On Wednesday night, the black smoke of the first ballot poured out of the chapel chimney just after 9 p.m., about 4.5 hours after the cardinals filed into the Sistine Chapel to take their oaths at ...

The black and white smoke that bellows from the Sistine Chapel during a conclave represents the cardinals' decision for the day. Black smoke rises from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel in ...