The signal of black smoke – <em>fumata nera</em> – indicating that the 133 cardinal-electors have failed to elect a new pope has come from the Sistine Chapel chimney following the first two ballots of the day.
Black smoke billowing from the chimney at 11.51 a.m. local time in Rome indicated that again the required two-thirds majority – at least 89 votes – hasn’t been achieved to find a successor to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, 21 April, at the age of 88 years old.
Once white smoke emerges that will be the signal that the next leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics and the 267th pope has been chosen.
Thursday marks the second day of voting in the conclave, which began on the afternoon of 7 May with the very first round of balloting also producing black smoke after all the cardinal-electors went up to place their slip of paper containing the name of their candidate into an urn set up in front of Michaelangelo’s Last Judgement.
The following voting and ballot burning times are given as rough estimates for Thursday 8 May and Friday 9 May:
<em>First ballot</em><br>Rome — 10:30<br>London — 09:30
<em>Second ballot</em><br>Rome — 12:00<br>London — 11:00
<em>Third ballot</em><br>Rome — 17:30<br>London — 16:30<br><br><em>Fourth ballot</em><br>Rome — 19:30<br>London — 18:30
Smoke will only appear after the first and third ballots if a pope has been elected. Otherwise, after every two rounds, the cardinals’ ballot papers, on which they write the name of the person they want elected pope, are burned in one of two special stoves installed inside the Sistine Chapel for the conclave, with black smoke emitting after the second and fourth ballots.
It means that as far as today is concerned, we will only see smoke (white) after the third ballot at 5.30 p.m., local time Rome, if a pope is elected; otherwise, there will be no more smoke today until after the fourth ballot at 7.30 p.m., when either black or white smoke will be released.
Following this morning's two ballots, cardinals will now have lunch in Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where they are staying, after which they return to the Sistine Chapel for another two rounds of voting this afternoon.
The first ballot at the start of a conclave is considered a "free-for-all" when cardinals can back their ideal candidate, before voting becomes more strategic from the second day onwards, as voting blocs emerge and a narrowing list of candidates gains traction, <mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/religion/article/conclave-live-vatican-latest-news-pope-zrkr0nlnd">reports</a></mark><em><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/religion/article/conclave-live-vatican-latest-news-pope-zrkr0nlnd"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"> </mark></a>The Times</em>.
This process needs opportunities during which cardinals can confer and negotiate regarding which cardinal should be backed, making the likes of today’s lunch break potentially crucial.
In his book <em>The Election of Pope Francis</em> about the 2013 conclave, Vatican expert Gerard O’Connell reported that during lunch on the second day of the conclave, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was asked by cardinals for a copy of a powerful speech he had given in one of the pre-conclave general congregation meetings.
That speech, <em>The Times</em> says, helped secure him the votes he needed to be elected in a following ballot, after which he emerged by the end of the day on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica as Pope Francis.
<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/ballot-burning-times-when-to-watch-for-white-smoke/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><strong><em>RELATED: Ballot burning times: when to watch for white smoke</em></strong></mark></a>
<em>Photo: Black smoke rising from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel signalling that cardinals failed to elect a new pope during their conclave, Vatican, 8 May 2025. (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images.)</em>
