Black smoke erupts at Vatican on second day of conclave to pick new pope

Cardinals are meeting in a secret and sacred conclave for a second day as they seek a new pontiff to succeed Pope Francis.

The first two votes of the day failed to find a winner, sending billowing black smoke through the chapel chimney.

The 133 cardinals who are eligible to choose the next pontiff are trying again on Thursday, May 8, 2025, to elect a successor to Francis to guide the 1.4 billion strong Roman Catholic church at time of human upheaval.

The conclave was called after Francis died on April 21 at the age of 88.

There was a delay between his death and the conclave to allow time for a funeral, burial and a period of mourning.

It was also necessary to give cardinals time to arrive in Rome from all corners of the Earth, and to let them get acquainted before entering the conclave, an ancient ritual steeped in mystery and ritual.

The cardinals are cut off from the world while at the Vatican, between residences and the Sistine Chapel, where they vote in secret – and in silence – beneath Michelangelo’s famed ceiling fresco of the Creation and his monumental “Last Judgment”.

Cardinals gather in Vatican to elect new pope

The process – fictionalised in the 2024 political thriller “Conclave” – is said to be guided by the Holy Spirit, and is designed to be both contemplative and free from outside interference.

Electors must be under 80 years old, and are more geographically diverse than ever.

They represent Catholicism’s growing presence in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as its traditional power base in Europe.

The longest conclave in history lasted nearly three years, but it’s reasonable to assume that this conclave will be much, much shorter.

Cardinals this week said they expect a short conclave, though it will likely take at least a few rounds of voting, AFP reported.

For most of the past century, it has taken between three and eight ballots to find a pope.

John Paul I – the pope who reigned for 33 days – was elected on the third ballot in 1978. His successor, St. John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013.

There are no official candidates for the papacy, but some cardinals are considered “papabile”, or possessing the characteristics necessary to become pope.

The Star