The papal conclave, the election to select Pope Francis’ successor, has begun inside the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.
Cardinal electors will cast their ballots for the new Bishop of Rome.
According to the Vatican, voting happens four times daily – twice in the morning, twice in the afternoon. If, after three days, no candidate has been chosen, voting is paused for one day of prayer, informal discussions, and a brief spiritual exhortation by the senior cardinal deacon.
If a new pope is not elected after 21 votes, the candidate field is trimmed to the two top vote-getters from the previous round of voting.
Before the election began, each cardinal took an oath of secrecy and the Sistine Chapel’s doors were sealed, sequestering the cardinals from the “outside world.” Each cardinal votes by secret ballot, says a prayer and then drops his ballot into a large chalice, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website states. The conclave concludes once one candidate receives a two-thirds majority vote.
Black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney on May 7, signaling no pope had been elected. Voting will resume on May 8.
How watch a livestream showing conclave smoke
USA TODAY will livestream coverage of the conclave’s first day between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 7. Watch the livestream at top of this story. It will also be available on the USA TODAY YouTube channel.
What does the black or white smoke mean?
Because the cardinals are sequestered during a conclave, black or white smoke is used to represent the cardinals’ decisions for the day, bellowing from a Sistine Chapel chimney.
Black smoke indicates that one candidate has not received the necessary votes and more voting lies ahead.
Secret ballots and white smoke: Here’s how the papal conclave will elect a new pope
White smoke, on the contrary, means a candidate has received the necessary votes and will soon be introduced to the world as the new pontiff.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Conclave live: Watch for smoke, results of election of new pope
Reporting by Kim Luciani and Greta Cross, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
