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Black smoke pours from Sistine Chapel, signals no pope chosen in first vote

With no one securing the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, the cardinals will retire for the night to the Vatican residences where they are being sequestered

The smoke billowed out at 9 pm Wednesday, some four hours after 133 cardinals solemnly entered the Sistine Chapel | Image: Bloomberg

AP Vatican City

1 min read Last Updated : May 08 2025 | 7:40 AM IST

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Black smoke is pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no pope was elected on the first ballot of the conclave to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church.

The smoke billowed out at 9 pm Wednesday, some four hours after 133 cardinals solemnly entered the Sistine Chapel, took their oaths of secrecy and formally opened the centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis to lead the 1.4 billion-member church.

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With no one securing the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, the cardinals will retire for the night to the Vatican residences where they are being sequestered.

They return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday morning.

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