07.05.2025 22:20
In the Vatican, 133 cardinals gathered for a conclave to elect the Church's 267th pope following the death of Pope Francis. Within the secret walls of the Vatican, the elections, conducted as part of a ritual that has been ongoing for over 800 years, did not yield a result in the first round. As a result of the failure to elect a new pope, black smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.
The conclave, which began with 133 cardinals gathering in the Sistine Chapel to determine the new pope of the Catholic Church, failed to elect a pope in the first round of voting, and black smoke rose from the chapel's chimney.
NO POPE ELECTED IN THE FIRST ROUND, BLACK SMOKE RISES
Following the death of the last spiritual leader of Catholics and the President of the Vatican City, Pope Francis, on April 21, the first round of voting was held today to determine the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion members worldwide. The 133 cardinal electors, who entered the Sistine Chapel accompanied by Christian clergy, took their oaths one by one. Then, the command "Extra Omnes," meaning "let those who have no business leave," was given in Latin, and only the electors remained inside the chapel.
The result of the vote, in which 133 cardinals under the age of 80 participated, was announced with the smoke rising from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals are the highest-ranking clergy after the Pope in the Catholic Church.
FOUR VOTES PER DAY UNTIL A POPE IS ELECTED
With the black smoke rising, it was announced to the world that a new pope could not be elected in the first session of the conclave that began today. The 133 cardinals will conduct four votes a day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, until a pope is elected starting tomorrow. If a new pope is elected, white smoke will rise from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.