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Pope Francis' Successor Elected at Vatican as White Smoke Emerges from Sistine Chapel
A new pontiff has been elected at the papal conclave by 133 cardinals. After two days of voting, white smoke was seen emerging from the chimney of Sistine Chapel.
The papal conclave has elected a new pope. He will be the 267th leader of the Catholic Church. White smoke, signalling that the cardinals have come to a mutual decision, has emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. However, the identity of the new pope is yet to be revealed. Soon, the new pontiff will step out onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica and greet the pilgrims.
Cheers erupted in St. Peter’s Square as bells rang out from the basilica, signaling that the 133 cardinal electors, sequestered since Wednesday, had reached a two-thirds majority to choose Pope Francis’s successor.
In a ceremony that dates back to 1274, the new Pope was elected after several ballots. The first ballot on Thursday concluded around 10:30 AM local time in Rome. No Pope was elected in that round, and black smoke blew out from the chimney to signal the same. During the second ballot, too, the cardinals could not reach a decision.
This isn't unusual because Pope Benedict XVI was elected after four ballots, meanwhile Pope Francis was elected after five ballots. Pope John Paul II, on the other hand, was elected after eight ballots.
The decision came after two days of conclave, and 17 days after the death of Pope Francis.
United States President Donald Trump was among the first to react to the news. He took the stage at a White House event shortly after white smoke came out of the Vatican chimney. “I saw the smoke, but I haven’t seen the pope,” Trump told reporters in the White House East Room.
What will happen next?
The new pope will first adopt his papal name and then put on the special papal garbs. After taking a moment in a private room to compose himself, he will be introduced to the world.
Dominique Mamberti, the senior cardinal deacon, will soon proclaim “Habemus papam,” a Latin phrase meaning, “We have a Pope.”
Then, we will finally get a glimpse of the new pope on the Vatican balcony, known as the Loggia of the Blessings.
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