TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Following Pope Francis' passing on Easter Monday, the Catholic Church began one of its most solemn traditions, the selection of a new Pope. On Tuesday, May 7, 2025, the cardinals gathered behind closed doors of the Sistine Chapel, shielded from the outside world, to begin the sacred process of choosing the next pope. As the first round of the conclave concluded, a plume of black smoke curled into the Roman night sky at 9 pm on Wednesday, signaling no successor had yet been chosen.
The Catholic Church, currently in a state of sede vacante, presses on with the sacred task of electing its next spiritual leader. As the conclave enters another round of voting, the world watches in anticipation, awaiting the decisive moment when a new pope is chosen.
According to Vatican News, all participating cardinals and officials swore a solemn oath of secrecy inside the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace. With no insight into the deliberations behind closed doors, the Church’s 1.4 billion faithful are left to read the sky, searching for the symbolic black or white smoke that signals the outcome.
Black smoke drifting from the Sistine Chapel chimney signals an inconclusive vote that no new pope has been selected. White smoke, on the other hand, is a sign that a new leader of the Catholic Church has been chosen.
Quoting Antara, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, the next smoke signal will not appear until around 7 pm Vatican time, unless the afternoon vote has determined a new Pope.
In accordance with the traditions, voting for a new pope can be conducted up to four times each day, whereas smoke signals will only appear twice a day until the entire procession leads to a new spiritual leader.
The length of a papal conclave has historically ranged widely, with some lasting just a day and others stretching for years. The 2013 conclave that elected the late Pope Francis was completed in just 24 hours after five rounds of voting.
Once a new pope has been elected, a cardinal steps onto the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to deliver the iconic announcement: “Habemus Papam”—“We have a Pope.” Shortly after the announcement, the newly elected pope steps forward to greet the world and deliver his first apostolic blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
In the following days, he will formally assume the papacy during a solemn inauguration Mass. The final step in taking full possession of his role comes with the symbolic transfer of the Lateran Basilica, the official cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, which marks his complete investiture as the Bishop of Rome and spiritual leader of the Catholic Church.
In the silence behind the Sistine Chapel’s doors, a decision is being made that will lead the church into a new era, one defined by the vision and voice of its next spiritual leader. With each round of voting, history inches closer to its next chapter. Until that white plume rises, the faithful continue to gather in prayer and hope, united by centuries of tradition and the anticipation of the emergence of a new pope.
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