What is the science behind the smoke signals on the Sistine Chapel to announce if a new pope has been elected?

Since 1914, white smoke has indicated the election of a new pope. A stereotypical association of the colour of the smoke – ...

The smoke used to signify to the public whether a new pope has been elected is a centuries-old tradition that has been slightly modernized by the Catholic Church during recent conclaves.

Artists have captured the hidden world of papal elections for centuries, turning secrecy into spectacle for the public.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, a missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s powerful office of ...

The new pope is described as able to provide a balance between those who want a continuation of Pope Francis’s liberal agenda ...

When that happens, white smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel's chimney. If the two-thirds majority is not reached, black smoke is emitted instead, signaling that the conclave will resume with further ...

White smoke appeared atop the Sistine Chapel on Thursday (May 8), sending a signal that the cardinals gathered below had ...

What is the science behind the smoke signals on the Sistine Chapel to announce if a new pope has been elected?

The crowd in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers. The name will be announced later, when a top cardinal utters the words “Habemus papam!” Latin for “We have a pope!” ...

Just after noon on Thursday, the Vatican released white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling that a new pope has ...

The cardinals opened the secretive, centuries-old ritual Wednesday afternoon, participating in a rite more theatrical than even Hollywood could create.