Here's how the conclave creates black and white smoke and why the Catholic Church began using them to signal whether a new pope has been elected.

At the end of each voting round, black smoke means a new pope has not yet to be selected, while white smoke indicates a new ...

Tradition holds that black smoke indicates the cardinals have not yet agreed on a new leader, while white smoke signals that ...

But what does the smoke mean? What does the white and black smoke mean during the conclave? There are multiple voting rounds ...

Although the voting takes place behind closed doors and is notoriously secretive, this longstanding tradition is a way to ...

Black smoke (fumata nera) means the voting cardinals did not come to a two-thirds consensus. White smoke (fumata bianca ... since the Sistine Chapel is a work of art itself, installation can ...

Papal conclave ballots have been burned to maintain secrecy for centuries. Ballot smoke has been used to announce a decision ...

STORY: :: A pyrotechnic expert explains how the black and white papal smoke signals are created :: May 2, 2025 :: Rome, Italy ::Massimiliano De Sanctis, Fireworks expert ''During the conclave the ...

Their ballots will be burned in a way that sends smoke that's either black (inconclusive vote) or white (someone has been elected). And while they're contemplating their decisions, the dramatic ...

Follow live coverage from the Vatican on the second day of conclave as cardinals return to the Sistine Chapel to vote for a ...