The papal conclave is underway in Rome, and white smoke issuing from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Thursday at around 6:10 p.m. local time indicates a new pope has been chosen.
After the cardinals vote and their ballots are counted, the ballots are burned and chemicals are added to the flames to produce black smoke if there’s no majority. When a new pope has been selected, as has just happened, chemicals are added to the flames to produce white smoke. Crowds gathering in St. Peter’s Square cheered and celebrated the results.
There’s no word yet on who was chosen or what name he will take as pope.
Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at age 88, was laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church voted for a successor in an assembly known as a conclave beginning Wednesday. Only cardinals younger than 80 years old are eligible to vote in a papal election. While 135 cardinals come in under this age requirement, two withdrew from the voting for health reasons, so 133 were eligible to vote.
How to watch the new pope being announced
The major news networks are now live streaming the wait for the new pope to appear. Crowds are gathered in Saint Peter’s Square outside the Vatican to see the new head of the Roman Catholic Church make his first appearance as pope.
There was no way to watch the real papal conclave, as it was conducted inside the walls of the Sistine Chapel in private. The movie Conclave, while entertaining and well-reviewed, is a fictional version. But the major news networks are covering any news about the event.
Perhaps the most interesting way to follow along is to tune in to the Vatican’s own YouTube channel, which is streaming a live webcam from St. Peter’s Square in Rome, the large public square outside the Vatican buildings. That’s where you can see the smoke as ballots are burned.
Who is the new pope?
While the new pope has yet to be announced, several cardinals were considered potential strong candidates for the papacy.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Italy is noted for his diplomatic efforts and alignment with Pope Francis’ vision. Cardinal Luis Tagle from the Philippines is also a prominent figure, recognized for his advocacy for social justice and alleviation of poverty. And Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana is being discussed as a possible first African pope in the modern era.
In the movie, Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who spearheads the election of the next pope while investigating rumors about potential candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is fictional — though it does represent some of the events of how actual papal conclaves take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.
No, Trump could not be pope
Any man who is a baptized Catholic can technically be elected pope, but in reality, the next pope is chosen from the College of Cardinals. Cardinals are senior members of the clergy and are selected by the pope to serve as advisors to him.
Days before Pope Francis’ funeral, US President Donald Trump told reporters, apparently jokingly, “I’d like to be pope.” But as a non-Catholic, Trump is not eligible.
Trump also shared an AI-generated image of himself as pope on his Truth Social social media site last week. The official White House account reposted the image on X. Many did not find the image funny.
“We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter,” the New York State Catholic Conference wrote on X. “Do not mock us.”
Trump’s vice president, J.D. Vance, wrote on X that he was OK with the image of Trump as pope. Vance was not raised Catholic but was baptized into the faith in 2019. “As a general rule, I’m fine with people telling jokes,” Vance wrote.
What is the conclave?
Black smoke on Wednesday showed a pope had yet to be chosen at the time.
The word “conclave” is familiar to many non-Catholics now, thanks to the Hollywood feature film Conclave, which was released in 2024 and is available to watch on streaming services.
The Vatican News, the official communications outlet of the Vatican, posted on X on Wednesday that all nonessential personnel had left the Sistine Chapel so the cardinals could vote in private. The account shared a video of the chapel’s heavy doors being dramatically shut.
‘Extra omnes’, ‘everyone out’.
The doors of the Sistine Chapel close with this proclamation, and all non-essential personnel exit.
Now that they have left, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa will deliver a meditation, inviting the cardinals into a space of prayer and discernment… pic.twitter.com/tY5jrtqvGi— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 7, 2025
Read more: Where to Watch Conclave, the Vatican Thriller About Electing a New Pope
The voting takes as long as it takes
Two-thirds of the cardinals’ votes are required to elect the next pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors, and the vote tally is never made public.
The conclave can take days or even weeks to conclude. In the 13th century, it reportedly took three years to choose a pope, but modern conclaves have been much shorter. Pope Francis was elected in 2013 on the fifth ballot on the second day of the conclave.
There can only be two rounds of voting per day, and a candidate needs two-thirds of the votes, plus one to be elected. If that majority isn’t reached after three days of voting, the process pauses so the cardinals can pray and discuss their options, CBS News reports.
