Cardinals Return To The Sistine Chapel To Vote On A New Pope After The First Ballot Fails | rssama.com

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinals grounded again Thursday greeting to find a successor to Pope Francis, sending achromatic fume billowing up done nan Sistine Chapel chimney aft 2 much inconclusive rounds of conclave voting.

With nary campaigner securing nan basal two-thirds majority, aliases 89 votes, nan world will request to hold longer for a caller leader of nan Catholic Church. The 133 cardinals took a luncheon break earlier returning to nan Sistine Chapel for Thursday’s day voting session, wherever 2 much ballots were possible.

Black fume billows from nan chimney of nan Sistine Chapel during nan conclave to elite a caller pope, astatine nan Vatican, connected May 8, 2025.

AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Despite nan disappointment, hopes were still precocious that a pope would beryllium chosen quickly, possibly arsenic early arsenic Thursday afternoon’s 4th aliases 5th ballot.

“I dream by this evening, returning to Rome, I’ll find achromatic smoke,” said Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, nan 91-year-old dean of nan College of Cardinals who presided complete nan Mass earlier nan conclave. Re is not participating successful nan balloting because only cardinals nether 80 are eligible to formed votes.

Re, who was quoted by Italian media arsenic speaking Thursday successful Pompeii, said he was definite nan 133 cardinals would elite “the pope that nan religion and world request today.”

Eyes On The Chimney

For nan wide public, nan hit of nan voting is dictated successful galore ways by nan Vatican tv cameras: You cognize a fume awesome is adjacent erstwhile nan cameras resume their fixed changeable connected nan Sistine Chapel’s skinny chimney, pinch achromatic fume indicating a winner, and achromatic meaning nary consensus.

On Thursday, ample schoolhouse groups joined nan operation of humanity awaiting nan result successful St. Peter’s Square. They blended successful pinch group participating successful pre-planned Holy Year pilgrimages and journalists from astir nan world who person descended connected Rome to archive nan election.

“The hold is marvelous!” said Priscilla Parlante, a Roman.

“We are hoping for nan achromatic fume tonight,” said Pedro Deget, 22, a finance student from Argentina. He said he and his family visited Rome during nan Argentine pope’s pontificate and were hoping for a caller pope successful Francis’ image.

“Francis did good successful opening nan religion to nan extracurricular world, but connected different fronts possibly he didn’t do enough. We’ll spot if nan adjacent 1 will beryllium capable to do more,” Deget said from nan piazza.

The Rev. Jan Dominik Bogataj, a Slovene Franciscan friar, was much captious of Francis. He said if he were successful nan Sistine Chapel, he’d beryllium voting for Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, nan Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem who is connected galore papal contender lists.

“He has clear ideas, not overmuch ideology. He’s a direct, intelligent, and respectful man,” Bogataj said from nan square. “Most of all, he’s agile.”

A Long Wait On The First Ballot

On Wednesday night, nan billowing achromatic smoke of nan first ballot poured retired of nan chapel chimney conscionable aft 9 p.m., astir 4.5 hours aft nan cardinals revenge into nan Sistine Chapel to return their oaths astatine nan commencement of nan conclave. The precocious hr prompted speculation astir what took truthful long: Did they person to redo nan vote? Did personification get sick aliases request translator help? Did nan papal preacher return a agelong clip to present his meditation earlier nan voting began?

“They astir apt request much time,” said Costanza Ranaldi, a 63-year-old who travelled from Pescara successful Italy’s Abruzzo region to nan Vatican.

Some of nan cardinals had said they expected a short conclave. But if caller history is immoderate guide, it will apt return a fewer rounds of voting to settee connected nan 267th pope.

For overmuch of nan past century, nan conclave has needed betwixt 3 and 14 ballots to find a pope. John Paul I — nan pope who reigned for 33 days successful 1978 — was elected connected nan 4th ballot. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was elected connected nan 5th successful 2013.

Conjecture On Contenders

The cardinals opened nan secretive, centuries-old ritual Wednesday afternoon, participating successful a rite much theatrical than moreover Hollywood could create. Bright reddish cassocks, Swiss Guards opinionated astatine attention, ancient Latin chants and oaths preceded nan slamming unopen of nan Sistine Chapel doors to seal nan cardinals disconnected from nan extracurricular world.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, nan 70-year-old caput of authorities nether Francis and a leading contender to win him arsenic pope, assumed activity of nan proceedings arsenic nan astir elder cardinal nether property 80 eligible to participate.

Parolin seemed to person received nan blessings from nary different than Re, nan respected elder among nan cardinals. During nan accepted speech of bid during nan pre-conclave Mass connected Wednesday, Re was caught connected a basking mic telling Parolin “Auguri doppio” aliases “double champion wishes.” Italians debated whether it was conscionable a customary motion acknowledging Parolin’s domiciled moving conclave, aliases if it mightiness person been an informal endorsement aliases moreover a premature congratulations.

The Voting Process

The voting follows a strict choreography, dictated by religion law.

Each cardinal writes his prime connected a portion of insubstantial inscribed pinch nan words “Eligo successful summen pontificem” — “I elite arsenic Supreme Pontiff.” They attack nan altar 1 by 1 and say: “I telephone arsenic my witness, Christ nan Lord who will beryllium my judge, that my ballot is fixed to nan 1 who, earlier God, I deliberation should beryllium elected.”

The folded ballot is placed connected a information sheet and tipped into a metallic and golden urn. Once cast, nan ballots are opened 1 by 1 by 3 different “scrutineers,” cardinals selected astatine random who constitute down nan names and publication them aloud.

The scrutineers, whose activity is checked by different cardinals called revisors, past adhd up nan results of each information of balloting and constitute it down connected a abstracted expanse of paper, which is preserved successful nan papal archives.

As nan scrutineer sounds retired each name, he pierces each ballot pinch a needle done nan connection “Eligo.” All nan ballots are past bound together pinch thread, and nan bundle is put speech and burned successful nan chapel stove on pinch a chemic to nutrient nan smoke.

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Giada Zampano, Helena Alves and Vanessa Gera contributed to this report.

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Associated Press belief sum receives support done nan AP’s collaboration pinch The Conversation US, pinch backing from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.