Vatican City: White smoke has emerged from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, signalling that cardinals have chosen a new pope to replace the late Francis after less than two days of secret deliberations.
The announcement was made around 6.05 pm local time on Thursday, as the smoke billowed out of the comignolo, the copper and steel tube on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, into the evening sky. It was greeted with cries of delight and applause from thousands of pilgrims and tourists gathered in St Peter’s Square.
White smoke billows from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel during the conclave to elect a new pope.Credit: AP
Soon after, the bells of the basilica rang out, confirming that a new pontiff had accepted the nomination of his fellow cardinals to take over the spiritual leadership of the world’s 1.4 billion baptised Catholics.
While the white smoke indicates the election of a new pontiff, the identity of the chosen cardinal has not yet been disclosed. The senior cardinal deacon, Dominique Mamberti of France, will announce the new pope’s name from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica with the phrase “Habemus Papam” (“We have a pope”).
Following this announcement, the new pope will appear on the balcony to greet the crowds gathered below.
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The process was conducted under strict secrecy, with cardinals surrendering their mobile phones and the Vatican implementing signal jammers to prevent external communication during the deliberations.
Before the conclave began, several key figures emerged as frontrunners, including Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State; Luis Antonio Tagle, a reformist from the Philippines; Péter Erdo, a traditionalist from Hungary; Robert Sarah, a cardinal from Guinea who has openly criticised Francis’s papacy; and Robert Prevost, a moderate American cardinal.
The election follows almost two days of deliberations among the 133 cardinals convened to select the 267th successor to St. Peter. A two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, was required to elect a new pope. The conclave began on May 7, with voting sessions held twice daily. A result was reached after four rounds.
