Faithful and curious onlookers eagerly await the outcome of a historic papal election.
**Awaiting the White Smoke: The Papal Election Begins**
**Awaiting the White Smoke: The Papal Election Begins**
As cardinals lock themselves away to determine the next pope, anticipation swells in St. Peter's Square.
In Vatican City, the selection of a new pope has commenced, leaving the crowd in St. Peter’s Square buzzing with anticipation. On the evening of May 7, 2025, 133 cardinals sequestered themselves in the Sistine Chapel, embarking on a momentous decision-making process that is cloaked in secrecy. With no cellphones allowed, their deliberations will be communicated solely through the color of smoke emanating from a special chimney.
The preliminary voting session began as the sun set, with cardinals carefully penning the names of their papal candidates on ballots, deliberately trying to hide their handwriting. Outside, thousands gathered in the square, a mixture of devout followers, curious sightseers, and tourists eagerly awaited signals of a new pope.
At 9 p.m., the first indication came: billowing black smoke wafted from the chimney, a clear sign that the cardinals had not reached a consensus in their initial vote. If white smoke had emerged, it would have signaled the selection of a new pope after a 12-year gap, a feat not accomplished in recent history during a single voting round.
Rev. Peter Mangum, a Louisiana priest who has witnessed past papal elections, shared the exhaustion felt by many onlookers: “We are cold, we’re hungry, we’re thirsty but yet we can’t move.” Having waited for seven hours, the excitement continues in the square, as faith and anticipation remain high among those waiting for the pivotal moment in Catholic Church leadership.
The preliminary voting session began as the sun set, with cardinals carefully penning the names of their papal candidates on ballots, deliberately trying to hide their handwriting. Outside, thousands gathered in the square, a mixture of devout followers, curious sightseers, and tourists eagerly awaited signals of a new pope.
At 9 p.m., the first indication came: billowing black smoke wafted from the chimney, a clear sign that the cardinals had not reached a consensus in their initial vote. If white smoke had emerged, it would have signaled the selection of a new pope after a 12-year gap, a feat not accomplished in recent history during a single voting round.
Rev. Peter Mangum, a Louisiana priest who has witnessed past papal elections, shared the exhaustion felt by many onlookers: “We are cold, we’re hungry, we’re thirsty but yet we can’t move.” Having waited for seven hours, the excitement continues in the square, as faith and anticipation remain high among those waiting for the pivotal moment in Catholic Church leadership.
