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Vatican Media
Cardinals be the archetypal time of the conclave to elite the successor of precocious Pope Francis wrong the Sistine Chapel astatine the Vatican, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)
VATICAN CITY – Catholic cardinals are returning to the Sistine Chapel connected Thursday for a 2nd time of voting to effort and elite a caller pope.
The 133 cardinals are expected to ballot again successful the greeting aft spending the nighttime sequestered astatine the Vatican residences. On Wednesday evening, achromatic fume poured retired of the Sistine Chapel chimney indicating nary pope was elected connected the archetypal ballot of the conclave.
The cardinals person been sworn to secrecy successful the centuries-old ritual to elite a caller person of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church. To go pope, a cardinal needs a two-thirds majority, oregon 89 votes. This conclave is the most geographically divers conclave successful the faith’s 2,000-year history.
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Day 2 of waiting for a caller pope
Many faithful are hoping that the 2nd time of the conclave volition springiness the religion and the satellite a caller pope aft a archetypal ballot produced acheronian fume connected Wednesday evening, sending a disappointed assemblage to disperse successful each directions successful Rome.
Earlier, immoderate of the radical had started reasoning that the agelong hold was the motion cardinals had reached a determination successful a archetypal vote, which would beryllium unprecedented successful the modern era.
“They astir apt request much time,” said Costanza Ranaldi, a 63-year-old who travelled from Pescara successful Italy’s Abruzzo portion to beryllium contiguous astatine the historical moment.
Chiara Pironi, a 26-year-old who lives successful Rome, said she would support returning to St. Peter’s Square until a caller pope is chosen.
“I don’t privation to miss that moment,” she said.
A proverb and a warning
There is an aged prover that Italians support repeating: “He who enters the conclave arsenic pope leaves arsenic a cardinal.”
The saying warns against overconfidence among frontrunners successful papal elections — those wide expected to triumph often bash not.
In Rome, the operation is heard frequently, from casual conversations to unrecorded TV broadcasts, wherever commentators usage it to temper speculation.
It’s a reminder of the secrecy and unpredictability of the conclave, wherever decisions are made down locked doors, and outcomes tin astonishment adjacent seasoned Vatican watchers
Black fume pours from Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating conclave hasn’t elected pope
The fume billowed retired astatine 9 p.m. Wednesday, immoderate 4 hours aft 133 cardinals solemnly entered the Sistine Chapel, took their oaths of secrecy and formally opened the centuries-old ritual to elite a successor to Pope Francis to pb the 1.4 billion-member church.
With nary 1 securing the indispensable two-thirds majority, oregon 89 votes, the cardinals retired for the nighttime to the Vatican residences wherever they are being sequestered.
▶ Read much astir the conclave to prime the adjacent pope
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