A cardinal with ties to Indiana has a shot of becoming the Vatican’s next pontiff as ranking members of the Catholic Church meet in Rome this week to select a successor to Pope Francis, who died April 21.
If so, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, 72, who previously served as the Archbishop of Indianapolis, would be the first person born in the United States to serve as Pope.
Here’s what we know about the search, black vs. white smoke and how to watch.
What does conclave mean?
The term conclave refers to a private meeting or secret assembly, especially a meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals secluded continuously while choosing a pope, according to merriam-webster.com.
What color smoke means new pope at Vatican?
The cardinals are sequestered during a conclave, according to USA Today. Black or white smoke bellowing from a Sistine Chapel chimney represents the cardinals’ voting decisions for the day.
What does the black smoke mean for new pope at Vatican?
What does the white smoke mean for new pope at Vatican?
New pope 2025 live stream coverage: Papal conclave voting, smoke
USA TODAY will stream coverage of the conclave on its YouTube channel, available here or at the embed below. The first day’s livestream is scheduled to run from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 7.
Who is Cardinal Joseph Tobin?
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, 72, a progressive, is among the 10 Americans who’ll have a vote in the conclave, according to indystar.com.
While serving as the Archbishop of Indianapolis where he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 18, 2012, Tobin was elevated to a cardinal by Pope Francis on Oct. 9, 2016. Pope Francis appointed him to serve the Archdiocese of Newark in New Jersey on Jan. 6, 2017.
Tobin was the first Detroit-born priest to become a Catholic Cardinal. He has followed the teachings of Pope Francis throughout his service to the church, supporting undocumented immigrants and LGBTQ Catholics.
When did the 2025 papal conclave begin? When did voting for a new pope start?
The papal conclave begins Wednesday, May 7. There’s no timeline for it to conclude. A new Pope could be selected in a matter of hours, days, weeks or even years. The voting is done in secrecy, with the results signaled by plumes of smoke — black meaning the voting will continue, and white smoke meaning a new pontiff has been selected.
2025 new pope odds: Who are the current favorites to be the next pope at the Vatican?
Here are the odds for next pope, according to BetMGM:
How is a new pope elected? How the papal conclave works
2025 papal conclave vote: Voting for a new pope
The first ballot was cast Wednesday evening (Vatican time), May 7, according to Vatican News. Voting happens four times daily over the following days, twice in the morning and twice in the evening.
2025 papal conclave schedule
Here’s what we know so far about the concave schedule, according to the Vatican.
John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Black or white smoke at papal conclave? Who is new Pope? Will he have Indiana ties? What we know
Reporting by Chris Sims, John Tufts and Mary Walrath-Holdridge, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
