White smoke rises: Cardinals elect new pope

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MANILA, Philippines — A new leader of the Catholic Church has been elected on the second day of the conclave, as white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney on May 9, 2025 at 12:08 a.m. Manila time.

The papal conclave reached consensus on the fourth ballot — the same number of voting rounds that elected former Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 — signaling strong agreement among the most geographically diverse group of cardinal-electors in Church history on who should best follow Pope Francis's 12-year papacy.

The newly chosen pope, the 267th successor of St. Peter, is expected to appear on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where his name will be announced by the proto-deacon of the College of Cardinals.

The conclave’s 133 cardinal-electors, including three from the Philippines—Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Cardinal Jose Advincula and Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David—selected the new pontiff in the fourth round of voting.

The swift decision comes after the cardinals gathered in a solemn procession and took oaths of secrecy before beginning deliberations under Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, May 8.