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VATICAN CITY: On Thursday, white smoke billowed from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, and the bells of St. Peter’s rang out, marking the election of a new pope to succeed Pope Francis and lead the Roman Catholic Church.
This pivotal event occurred on the first full day of voting among the 133 cardinal electors, who had sequestered themselves behind the Vatican’s ancient walls on Wednesday afternoon.
A jubilant crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers and applause as the initial puffs of smoke emerged from the small chimney on the chapel’s roof, where cardinals have been casting their votes in secrecy.
The name of the newly elected pope will soon be revealed to the world from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Following this announcement, the new pope will address the crowds and deliver his first blessing.
Pope Francis passed away on April 21 after leading the 1.4 billion-strong Church for 12 years. His leadership was marked by efforts to modernize the traditionally conservative institution, implementing reforms and encouraging discourse on contentious topics, such as the ordination of women and the inclusion of LGBTQ+ Catholics.
While there were no clear frontrunners for his successor, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who served as the Vatican’s second-in-command under Francis, and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle were considered leading candidates.
Potential papal candidates, known in Italian as "papabili," also included French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, American Cardinal Robert Prevost, Italian Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Filipino Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David.
The cardinals faced the significant decision of whether to choose a leader who would continue Francis’ vision of openness and reform or select a more traditional figure.
Throughout the conclave, the only means of communication with the outside world was through the smoke signals—black indicating no pope had been chosen yet, and white indicating that a new pontiff had been elected by a two-thirds majority.
The cardinals conducted an initial inconclusive vote on Wednesday evening followed by two more votes on Thursday morning. They returned to the Sistine Chapel at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT), and by around 6:08 p.m. (1608 GMT), the white smoke signaled the outcome.
During the conclave, the cardinals were isolated, bound by secrecy, with their phones and computers confiscated. They were shuttled between the Sistine Chapel for voting and two Vatican guesthouses for sleeping and dining.
On average, the last 10 conclaves required about 7.2 ballots for a pope to be elected. Pope Francis himself was selected after just five ballots in 2013.
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