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Black smoke comes out of the Sistine Chapel on the first day of the Papal Conclave. May 7, 2025. Image: Vatican MediaVATICAN CITY — Black smoke streamed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, signaling to the world that the 133 cardinal electors have not come to a two-thirds agreement about who the next pope should be.
The conclave to choose a new pope is beginning. Here's what you need to know Earlier on Wednesday, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church entered the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave, where they will select a new pope for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.
The cardinal electors will resume voting on Thursday morning. From now on, they will vote four times a day until a candidate for the papacy achieves a two-thirds majority, with a break for a day of prayer if no pope is elected after three days.
Rome is buzzing in anticipation of this moment, and the Via della Conciliazione leading to St. Peter's Square is packed. Pilgrims, journalists, cardinals and curious onlookers have migrated to Vatican City to observe what they can of the secret conclave.
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