Black smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday. This signaled that the cardinals failed to choose a new pope in their first vote.Tens of thousands had gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. They waited more than three hours after the 133 cardinals were locked inside the conclave. The smoke told them what they feared. No decision had been made.The conclave follows the death of Pope Francis on April 21. He led the Catholic Church for 12 years. Cardinals from nearly 70 countries returned to Rome for the election.
All cardinals gave up their phones before entering. The Vatican blocked all external communications to keep the process secret. The cardinals will vote again on Thursday. They will keep voting until one of them gets at least 89 votes, a two-thirds majority, to be declared pope.
No Pope Yet: Crowds Wait and Watch in St. Peter’s Square
The start of the conclave began with a solemn procession. It was streamed live on big screens outside St. Peter’s Basilica. People waited patiently, staring at the chimney for signs of smoke. Some watched seagulls land on it as the hours passed. Some visitors left in disappointment. Others stayed and cheered when the smoke finally appeared, even if it was black.
Black smoke emerged from the chimney over the Sistine Chapel at 21:00 on Wednesday evening, signalling that a first ballot has been held at the conclave and has concluded without the election of a Pope.https://t.co/hlmAJdskTO pic.twitter.com/AKxuUbDK2g
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 7, 2025
“It would be perfect, lovely to be here for a new pope,” said Irish tourist Catriona Hawe, 60. “Francis was brilliant, progressive, a man of the people. Though he didn’t move things forward as quickly as I would have liked,” she added. “The Church won’t be doing itself any favours if it elects someone conservative.”
Uncertainty and Big Challenges Ahead
Pope Francis appointed 108 of the 133 current electors. Many are from places that never had a cardinal before like Mongolia, Sweden, and Tonga. He also broke the traditional limit of 120 cardinal electors. This added more uncertainty to an already suspenseful process.
Many cardinals only met for the first time last week. Some said they needed more time to get to know each other. That raises questions about how long this conclave might take. Historically, conclaves can be brief or very long. The longest lasted nearly three years, from 1268 to 1271.
There’s no clear frontrunner. Names like Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Peter Erdo, and Malcolm Ranjith are being discussed. The next pope faces many issues: declining priest numbers, financial troubles, gender roles, the abuse scandal, and empty churches in the West. He will also need to handle internal divisions and global tensions with care.
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