Vatican City (AP) — The Cardinals failed again Thursday morning, failing to find a successor to the Pope of France, sending black smoke swirling through the Sistine Chapel chimney after two more non-conclusive conclusion votes.
The black smoke was poured at 11:50am (0950 GMT), indicating that Conclave’s second and third votes failed to find consensus among 1.4 billion Catholic Church leaders.
With no one having secured the required two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, 133 Cardinals have returned to Vatican residences, where they are quarantined. They have lunch and then return to the Sistine Chapel for an afternoon voting session. Two more votes are available on Thursday.
A wave of black smoke from the chimney of Sistine Chapel throughout the Conclave to elect a new Pope at the Vatican on Thursday, May 8, 2025. 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Despite the disappointment, there was still high hopes that the Pope would be quickly selected on Thursday.
“I hope to return to Rome by night and find some white smoke,” said Giovanni Batista Le, 91-year-old dean of Cardinals University, who presided over the Mass before Conclave. RE is not taking part in the vote as only Cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote.
Re, cited as speaking in Pompeii on Thursday by Italian media, said he is confident that the Cardinals will elect “the Pope that the Church and the world need today.”
Chimney eye
For the general public, the rhythm of votes is determined in many ways by the Vatican television cameras. When the camera resumes a pinned shot with Sistine Chapel skinny chimney, white smoke shows the winner and blacks know that no consensus is implied.
On Thursday, a large school group joined the mix of humanity awaiting the outcomes of St. Peter’s Square. They merged with people taking part in the holy year pilgrimage and journalists from the world who came down to Rome to document elections.
“We want the white smoke tonight,” said Pedro DeGetto, 22, an Argentine finance student traveling to Italy with his family. He said that his family visited Rome during the Pope of Argentine and wanted a new pope in his image.
“Francis did well to open the church to the outside world, but on other side he may not have done enough. We’ll see if we can do more of the next aspect,” Deget said from the square.
On Wednesday night, the black smoke circulating was poured from the chapel chimney just after 9pm. Approximately 4.5 hours after Cardinals submitted to the Sistine Chapel to take the oath. The late hour prompted speculation that 133 electors cast the votes and took a lot of time to count. There are a lot of hypotheses: Did they have to redo the vote? Has anyone got sick or did they need translation help? Did the Pope preacher take a long time to deliver meditation before the vote began?
“We probably need more time,” said Costanza Ranaldi, 63, who traveled from Pescara in Italy’s Abruzzo region to the Vatican.
Some of the 133 voter carders said they were hoping for a short conclave to replace Francis. But one man could have several votes to secure the two-thirds of the majority needed to become the 267th Pope, or 89 votes.
For most of the past century, Conclaves needed 3-14 votes to find the Pope. John Paul I – the Pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 – was elected by the fourth vote. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was selected fifth in 2013.
Candidate Speculation
The Cardinals held a secret centuries-old ritual on Wednesday afternoon and attended theatres more than even Hollywood could make.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 70-year-old Secretary of State under Francis and a leading candidate to take over him as Pope, took on the leadership of the lawsuit as the most senior cardinal under the age of 80 who are eligible to participate.
Parolyn appears to have been blessed by someone other than Re, the respected elder in the Cardinals. During the traditional peace exchange at the pre-compete mass on Wednesday, Re got caught up in a hot microphone conveying “Auguri Doppio” or “Double Best Wishes.” The Italians discussed whether it was a conventional gesture to acknowledge the role of Parolin performing the Conclave, or whether it was an informal support, or an early celebration.
The Cardinals were isolated from the outside world, their phones surrendered, and radio waves clogged around the Vatican, choked to prevent all communication until they found a new Pope.
Francis nominated 108 out of the 133 “Prince Princes,” and chose many pastors from faraway countries such as Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga.
His decision to exceed the usual limits of 120 electors both extended the time it took for each vote to be processed, injecting more uncertainty into a process that is always full of mystery and suspense.
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