Here's how the conclave creates black and white smoke and why the Catholic Church began using them to signal whether a new ...

FILE - Black smoke emerges from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel as cardinals voted on the second day of the conclave to ...

The countdown is on. The papal conclave, a centuries-old practice, is set to begin Wednesday (May 7, 2025) to select a ...

For white smoke, a compound of the chemicals potassium chlorate, lactose, and rosin (also known as Greek pitch) is used, ...

At the end of each voting round, black smoke means a new pope has not yet to be selected, while white smoke indicates a new ...

Rather than soot, the smoke contains microscopic droplets and fine solids that are transparent or white. The result is a ...

The result is a mixture of steam and white or light gray smoke that contrasts sharply with the dark, carbon-rich black smoke. Over the years, the papal conclave smoke signal has evolved from an ...

No cameras will be allowed inside the church during the vote, so the result will remain secret until white smoke emerges from ...

Black smoke is pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no Pope was elected on the first ballot of the conclave ...

Papal conclave ballots have been burned to maintain secrecy for centuries. Ballot smoke has been used to announce a decision ...

The Vatican’s cardinals gather in conclave today to begin electing the successor to the late Pope Francis—which means the ...

The 2025 papal conclave is underway. Who will be the new pope when the white smoke settles? Who is the odds-on favorite? Are ...