New Pope Is Elected As White Smoke Emerges from Sistine Chapel

• The 133 cardinal electors who gathered in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on Thursday, May 8, elected a new pope
• The new head of the Catholic church was chosen two days after intense voting, as white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel on Thursday
• The name of the new pope will be announced soon, and he will appear at the central window of St. Peter’s Basilica

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Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Vatican City, Rome - White smoke has risen above the Sistine Chapel, signalling that a new pope has been elected.

The new pontiff will be revealed when he steps out onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica shortly.

As reported by The Telegraph, the election came after two days of voting in the conclave, and 17 days after the death of Pope Francis.

Following the secret vote, the new pope will state his papal name before moving to the Room of Tears, where he receives his papal robes. This is expected to take between 30 minutes and an hour.

He will then introduce himself to the faithful waiting in St Peter’s Square.

The pope, who will be the 267th, will take immediate charge of the Vatican, leading the Catholic church and holding authority over its 1.4 billion followers.

Eyes on the balcony

People rush into St Peter’s Square

People are rushing into St Peter’s Square, some of them vaulting over barriers. The crowds are cheering and clapping, and the great bells of the Basilica are tolling.

Band appears alongside Swiss Guard

As reported by the BBC, a marching band dressed in deep blue clothes played music while walking through the crowds at the Vatican.

Walking alongside them were the Swiss Guards, dressed in their blue and yellow striped uniform.

People in the crowd applauded and held up phones to capture the sight.

Canon law expert explains papal election freedom

Italian-based canon law expert Fabiola Lacagnina has described the election of Pope Leo XIV as a defining moment for the Catholic Church, noting its deep implications for canon law and the evolving role of the College of Cardinals.

Speaking exclusively to Legit.ng, the lawyer explained that canon law places no restrictions on the nationality or ethnicity of the pope.

“Indeed, according to Canon 332 §1 of the Code of Canon Law, ‘The Supreme Pontiff obtains full and supreme power over the Church by legitimate election, accepted by him, together with episcopal consecration’. Nothing is said about citizenship, geographical or ethnic origin. The most recent pontificates (John Paul II from Poland, Benedict XVI from Germany and Francis from Argentina) have already shown significant international openness,” she said.

Lacagnina also pointed out that the legal framework grants the College of Cardinals significant freedom in choosing the pontiff.

“The procedural details are mainly governed by the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, which regulates the conclave and the election itself, but does not impose substantive criteria for the selection of the candidate.”

She further clarified:

“In particular, the cardinals may elect any baptised man; if he is not a bishop, he must be ordained immediately after accepting the election. There is no legal obligation to follow a traditional, cultural or geographical line, although these dimensions may have a moral and prudential weight in discernment.”

“Consequently, tradition plays a guiding role, but the cardinals' discretion is broad and based on freedom of conscience, guided by prayer and the Holy Spirit. This balance between fidelity to the past and openness to the future is one of the most dynamic and spiritually delicate elements of the conclave.”

Who is the new pope?

Meanwhile, shortly after the white smoke, the Conclave announced Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th pope, becoming the first pontiff from the United States. The new pope picked the papal name Leo XIV after cardinals from around the world elected him leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Cardinal Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a leader with global experience, as he spent much of his career as a missionary in South America and served as a bishop in Peru.

According to the Vatican, he entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) in 1977 and made his solemn vows in 1981. Prevost bagged a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University in 1977, a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and both a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

His doctoral thesis was on “The role of the local prior in the Order of Saint Augustine.” He was ordained a priest in 1982. After his ordination, Prevost joined the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985 and served as chancellor of the Territorial Prélature of Chulucanas from 1985 to 1986.

Black smoke at the Sistine Chapel

Meanwhile, Pope Francis died on Easter Monday after an illness.

Following his demise and subsequent burial, Catholic cardinals from all over the world started casting their votes for a new pope under Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment fresco in the Sistine Chapel in what is the largest and possibly the most unpredictable conclave to ever take place.

Interestingly, on Wednesday, May 7, black smoke emanated from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, indicating no new pope was elected during the first round of voting.

Read more about the Catholic pope here:

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• “Make Vatican great again?” Trump posts AI picture of himself dressed as pope
• Past popes from Africa introduced new changes to Christianity, invented Valentine's Day

What cardinals eat before choosing new pope

Legit.ng earlier reported that for more than 750 years, strict rules have governed the food served to cardinals during a papal conclave to prevent any possibility of hidden messages influencing the election.

During the secret election for a new pope—scheduled to begin on May 7—135 cardinals will be secluded inside the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel with no external communication allowed except for the traditional smoke signals indicating voting results.

Head of politics and current affairs desk Nurudeen Lawal contributed information about the new pope to this report.

Editorial assistant Ololade Olatimehin provided exclusive commentary from a canon law expert for this report.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.