White smoke billowed from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on Thursday evening, marking the election of a new Pope by the 133 Cardinal electors gathered in Vatican City.
The symbolic plume signaled to the world that consensus had been reached within the conclave. The newly elected Pope is expected to appear shortly at the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to offer his first blessing.
White smoke! The 133 Cardinal electors gathered in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel have elected the new Pope. He will appear soon at the central window of St. Peter’s Basilica. pic.twitter.com/XejI7mY43m
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 8, 2025
The successful vote came after an earlier attempt the previous evening ended without a decision. On Wednesday, black smoke had emerged from the chapel’s chimney, indicating that the cardinals had failed to select a new leader of the Roman Catholic Church during their initial ballot.
Despite the uncertainty, anticipation grew in St. Peter’s Square where approximately 45,000 faithful and curious onlookers had gathered, awaiting news. Though the announcement had been expected shortly after 7 p.m., it wasn’t until 9 p.m. that the smoke confirmed the conclave’s conclusion.
Among the crowd was Deacon Nicholas Nkoronko from Tanzania, who spoke with Vatican News about the importance of unity and spiritual support during the process.
“Our role here is to pray and to join with other Christians, other Catholics, to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide the whole process,” he said.
“Wherever the new Pope comes from,” Deacon Nkoronko added, “whether it’s Africa, Asia, America, what we need is we need a holy Pope. We need a Pope who will guide the Church and will be the pastor of the Church.”
The election follows the funeral of Pope Francis, which was held on Saturday, April 26, at St. Peter’s Basilica. The Church now turns to a new chapter under its freshly elected spiritual leader.
