First ballot: Black smoke signals no pope yet as conclave voting starts

by · philstar

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 3:29 a.m.) — No pope was elected in the first round of voting by the College of Cardinals, as thick black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel at around 3 a.m. on Thursday, May 8 (Manila time).

The 133 cardinal-electors, sequestered inside the chapel, will return to Domus Sanctae Marthae before resuming the process the following day.

Tens of thousands of people, meanwhile, gathered in St Peter's Square to await the smoke, which came around three hours and 15 minutes after the 133 cardinals were closed in.

Up to four rounds of voting are set to occur each day—twice in the morning and twice in the evening—until a candidate secures the required two-thirds majority.

Voting times in the coming days (Manila time) are scheduled as follows:

  • 4:30 p.m.
  • 6 p.m.
  • 11:30 p.m.
  • 1 a.m.

If no candidate receives enough votes, black smoke will continue to signal an inconclusive result; white smoke will indicate a new pope has been chosen.

Originally, 135 cardinal-electors were expected, but two-one from Spain and one from Kenya—are absent due to health reasons.

This photograph shows black smoke rising from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel signalling that cardinals failed to elect a new pope in the first ballot of their conclave in the Vatican on May 7, 2025.
AFP/Alberto Pizzoli

Earlier today. The cardinal electors had earlier gathered in the nearby Pauline Chapel in silent prayer before proceeding to the 15th-century Sistine Chapel, where tables and chairs were laid out beneath Michelangelo's frescoes.

They took a group oath of secrecy before each cardinal approached the altar to utter his personal vow not to reveal what happened in the conclave, on pain of excommunication.

According to a video feed produced by the Vatican, they filed up one by one in front of the Renaissance master's depiction of the Last Judgement, when Christians believe God determines who goes to heaven or hell.

The conclave's master of ceremonies then declared "Extra omnes" -- "Everybody out" in Latin -- and then shut the heavy doors of the chapel. The black smoke emerged shortly after 9 p.m. (1900 GMT), which was 3 a.m. in Manila.

Both Francis and his predecessor Benedict XVI were elected within two days, but the longest papal election lasted 1,006 days, from 1268 to 1271. — with reports from Agence France Presse