Cardinals failed to elect a new pope on the first day of the conclave, this means they will return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday 8 May, 2025, when there will be as many as four (4) votes to choose a successor to Pope Francis.
There are 133 voting cardinals, who are all isolated inside the Vatican during the conclave. Any one of them needs two-thirds of the vote to emerge the next pope. They’ll keep voting until a new Head of the Vatican City State is chosen.
At the conclusion of each voting session, the cardinals burn the ballots. Black smoke means the cardinals haven’t reached a consensus, and white smoke means a new Pope has been elected.
A new Pope is to be elected following the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, 21 April, 2024 at the age of eighty-eight (88).
Photo: Black smoke rises from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel, indicating no new Pope has been elected. Hannah McKay/Reuters via edition.cnn.com
