Black and white smoke is used to represent the cardinals' decisions each day, as they are sequestered and cannot share this news directly. If one candidate doesn't receive the necessary two-thirds ...

Black smoke emerging from the chimney means the world's 1.4 billion Catholics don't yet have a new pope. White smoke means the cardinals have chosen a new leader of the church.

For three votes, the smoke spewed out in thick black billows, indicating a new pope has yet to be chosen. The conclave needs 77 votes, or a two-thirds majority from 115 cardinal-electors, for a ...

And once the election process for a new pope begins, gatherers will turn upward each day, waiting for black or white smoke to fill the sky. Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21.

What black and white smoke means After the cardinals' votes are counted, the paper ballots are burned in a stove in the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke emerging from the chimney means the world's 1.4 ...

For white smoke, a compound of the chemicals potassium chlorate, lactose, and rosin (also known as Greek pitch) is used, while potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulfur are used for the black ...

It wasn't clear whether grey smoke was closer to black or white, for example. By the 1970s, the straw method had been abandoned in favor of more controllable chemical mixtures.

And once the election process for a new pope begins, gatherers will turn upward each day, waiting for black or white smoke to fill the sky. Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21.

Cardinals under 80 will vote in a closed conclave at the Sistine Chapel to elect the next pope. Black smoke means no pope yet; white smoke signals a new pope has been chosen.

The 2025 Conclave begins today to elect Pope Francis’s successor. Here’s what time to watch for black or white smoke, how the process works, and where to stream it live.