Papal Conclave 2025: When Will We See Smoke From the Sistine Chapel?
The Election Begins!
The Papal Conclave to elect the successor of St. Peter officially commences at 4:30 PM (Rome time) on May 7, 2025. The Cardinal electors and the College of Cardinals are expected to hold an initial vote on that first day. Historically, this first vote rarely yields a Pope. It's even possible the College of Cardinals might opt to skip the vote on May 7th altogether!
The Famous Chimney is Ready!
Get ready! On Friday morning, May 2nd, just five days before the start of the conclave, Vatican City State employees will install the iconic chimney atop the Sistine Chapel. This chimney will be the sole messenger, broadcasting the results of each ballot to the world through plumes of smoke.
- Fun Fact: This famous chimney is connected to two stoves:
- Stove I: First used in the 1939 Conclave (electing Pius XII), it's dedicated to burning the ballots themselves.
- Stove II: Introduced in April 2005, this stove has an electronic system that helps create the black or white smoke signals we're all waiting for!
- The pipes from both stoves merge about 2 meters above ground, forming a single plume. A special ventilation system ensures the smoke rises clearly.
Decoding the Smoke Signals: When Can We Expect a Verdict?
Starting from the second day of voting – May 8th (round #2) – the schedule calls for two sessions daily, with two ballots per session. That's a total of four ballots each day!
Every conclave is unique, and with a historically large pool of 133 electors, the Papal Conclave 2025 might not be a sprint. However, based on past conclaves, here are the key times to watch for smoke signals rising from the Sistine Chapel:
After each session (following two ballots), the votes will be burned, meaning we should see two plumes of smoke each day:
- Around 12:00 PM Rome time (6:00 PM in the Philippines), after ballots #1 and #2.
- Around 7:00 PM Rome time (1:00 AM the next day in the Philippines), after ballots #3 and #4.
But there are two especially important moments each day, when white smoke could signal a newly elected Pope!
- 10:30 AM Rome time (4:30 PM in the Philippines), after the first ballot.
- 5:00 PM Rome time (11:00 PM in the Philippines), after the third ballot.
If you see smoke at these times, get ready to celebrate! It *must* be white smoke, signaling that ballot #1 or #3 has successfully elected the 267th successor of St. Peter, our new Pope!
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