No new pope elected yet as black smoke pours out of Sistine Chapel’s chimney; cardinals to vote again

Cardinals fail to elect new pope, black smoke billows from Sistine Chapel chimney, voting continues.

Cardinals failed again Thursday (May 8, 2025) morning to find a successor to Pope Francis, sending black smoke billowing up through the Sistine Chapel chimney after two more inconclusive rounds of conclave voting.

The black smoke poured out at 11:50 a.m. (0950 GMT) after the second and third ballots to elect a pope to lead the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church.

Also Read | Black smoke signals no pope elected at first conclave vote

With no one securing the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, the 133 cardinals will return to the Vatican residences where they are being sequestered. They will have lunch and then return to the Sistine Chapel for the afternoon voting session. Two more votes are possible Thursday (May 8, 2025).

The cardinals had returned to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday (May 8, 2025) to resume voting for a new pope and crowds flocked back to St. Peter’s Square to await their decision, after the first conclave ballot failed to find a winner during a longer-than-expected voting session Wednesday (May 7, 2025) afternoon.

The billowing black smoke poured out of the chapel chimney just after 9 p.m. Wednesday (May 7, 2025; 1900 GMT), about four and a half hours after the cardinals filed into the chapel. That prompted speculation about what took so long for the 133 electors to cast and count their ballots.

Also Read | Sistine Chapel closes, conclave to elect new pope begins