No Pope elected as black smoke rises from Sistine Chapel

Pilgrims watch in solemn anticipation as the Church awaits a new shepherd

A cloud of anticipation
As the sun set over Vatican City on Wednesday evening, a hush fell over St. Peter’s Square. All eyes turned to the iconic chimney atop the Sistine Chapel. At approximately 9 p.m. local time, black smoke emerged, signaling what many had feared — the first day of conclave voting had ended without the election of a new pope.

The symbolic dark plume confirmed that none of the 133 cardinal electors had achieved the two-thirds majority — at least 89 votes — required to succeed Pope Francis and become the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.

Sacred traditions begin
The day began with solemnity and reverence as the College of Cardinals gathered for the “Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice” Mass, celebrated in the grandeur of St. Peter’s Basilica. Presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, the liturgy marked the official opening of the conclave — a centuries-old ritual cloaked in secrecy and prayer.

Following the Mass, the cardinal electors processed into the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo’s famed frescoes looked on as they took their solemn oaths and began the task of selecting a new spiritual leader for over 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide.

The silence of the Chapel, the watchfulness of the world
Sequestered under oath and cut off from outside communication, the cardinals cast their votes beneath the gaze of “The Last Judgment.” The Sistine Chapel becomes both a sacred space and a crucible of decision during the conclave, where generations of tradition and modern urgency collide.

Meanwhile, pilgrims and faithful stood vigil in the Square, some praying quietly, others clutching rosaries, all awaiting the telltale smoke that would rise — black for inconclusive votes, white for a new pope.

A church at a crossroads
The cardinals will reconvene Thursday morning for four more potential voting sessions, two before noon and two in the afternoon. The process will continue with up to four ballots each day until consensus is reached. Should a candidate secure the required votes, the smoke will turn white — a moment of jubilant revelation for the faithful worldwide.

At that point, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the senior cardinal deacon, will appear on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to declare “Habemus Papam” — “We have a pope” — and introduce the new pontiff to the world.

But behind the pageantry and ritual lies the weight of a daunting mandate. In the 12 congregations leading up to the conclave, the cardinals discussed pressing global and internal challenges: evangelization in a secular world, dwindling vocations, handling of sexual abuse scandals, financial transparency, synodality, and the Church’s role amid geopolitical conflict.

A waiting world
Until white smoke rises, the world waits. In that waiting, there is both suspense and sacredness — a reminder of the gravity of choosing a shepherd for one of the most influential spiritual offices on earth.

And when the smoke finally changes color, history will once again be made beneath the painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.