Anticipation Builds as Cardinals Vote for the Next Pope

Once the 133 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, leaving behind their cellphones, the only way for them to communicate with the outside world was through the plume of smoke that would rise from the chapel’s chimney.

The confidential voting process commenced in the evening inside one of the most secure locations worldwide. The cardinals, responsible for choosing Pope Francis’s successor, meticulously wrote names on paper ballots, taking care to mask their handwriting.

Meanwhile, thousands of worshippers, tourists, and curious onlookers gathered in St. Peter’s Square, eagerly awaiting news of the election’s progress. At 9 p.m., black smoke emerged from a newly installed chimney atop the chapel’s roof, signaling that the cardinals had not reached a decision.

Had the smoke been white, it would have indicated a successful election of a new pope on the first ballot—a rare achievement not witnessed in centuries.

The black smoke, produced by burning the voting ballots in a cast-iron stove, meant the conclave would continue its deliberations.

"We are cold, hungry, and thirsty, yet unable to leave," said the Reverend Peter Mangum, a 61-year-old priest from Monroe, Louisiana. He and three fellow priests had been waiting in the square for about seven hours. This marked Father Mangum’s fourth time awaiting the announcement of a new pope.