The papal conclave took place this week, and the white smoke that broadcast the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday at 6:07 pm local time indicated that a new Pope was chosen. After the cardinals voted and their tickets were counted, the ballots were burned and the chemicals were added to the flames to produce white smoke. The crowds that gathered in the Plaza de San Pedro cheered and celebrated the results.
Cardinal Robert Prevost, the first American Pope in history, will be known as Pope Leo XIV, according to CNN. The new Pope made his first appearance on the balcony of the Basilica of San Pedro at 7:13 pm, read letters to the crowd, before disappearing again. The other cardinals appeared shortly after, wearing excited.
Pope Leo XIV resurfaced in his papal robes at 7:23 pm, greeting the thousands of people in the crowd they met next, before speaking.
Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88, was buried in the papal or Santa María Basilica in Rome. The cardinals of the novel Catholic Church voted for a successor in an assembly known as a conclave from Wednesday. Only cardinals under 80 are eligible to vote in a papal choice. While 135 cardinals have less of this age requirement, two withdrew from the vote for health reasons, so 133 were eligible to vote.
How to see the appearance of the new Pope
The main news networks are the live transmission of the Vatican. The crowds gather in the Plaza de San Pedro outside the Vatican to see the new head of the Roman Catholic Church to make their first appearance as Pope.
There was no way to see the true papal conclave, since it was carried out inside the walls of the Sistine Chapel in private. The conclave of the film, although entertaining and well reviewed, is a fictional version. But the main news networks are covering any news about the event.
Perhaps the most interesting way to follow it is to tune the YouTube channel of the Vatican, which is broadcasting a live webcam from the Plaza de San Pedro in Rome, the great public square that exceeds the Vatican buildings.
Who is the new Pope?
Cardinal Robert Prevost was chosen as the first American Pope in history, and will be known as Pope Leo XIV. He is the 267th Pope.
Other favorites that were considered possible strong candidates for the papacy included Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Italy, who stands out for their diplomatic efforts and alignment with the vision of Pope Francis. Cardinal Luis Tagle de Filipinas was also an outstanding figure, recognized for his defense of social justice and the relief of poverty. And Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana was discussed as a possible first African Pope in the modern era.
In the film, Ralph Fiennes plays Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who heads the election of the next Pope while investigating rumors about possible candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is fictitious, although it represents some of the events of how real papal arrangements take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for the best adapted script.
No, Trump couldn’t be Pope
Any man who is baptized is Catholicly chosen Pope, but in reality, the next Pope is chosen from the Cardinals College. The cardinals are main members of the clergy and the Pope selected to serve him as advisors.
Days before Pope Francis “Funeral, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, told reporters, apparently joking:” I would like to be a potato. “But as not Catholic, Trump is not eligible.
Trump also shared an image generated by AI as a potato in his real social media site last week. The official White House account published the image in X. Many did not find the fun image.
“We have just built our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to choose a new successor of St. Peter,” wrote the Catholic conference of the New York state about X. “They do not make fun of us.”
Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, wrote in X that he was fine with Trump’s image as Pope. Vance was not raised Catholic, but was baptized in faith in 2019. “As a general rule, I am well with the jokes with the account of the people,” Vance wrote.
What is the conclave?
The white smoke left the fireplace on Thursday night in the city of the Vatican.
The word “Concónimo” is familiar to many non -Catholics now, thanks to Hollywood Filmave’s feature film, which was launched in 2024 and is available to see the transmission services.
The Vatican News, the Official Communications Store of the Vatican, published on Wednesday in X that all staff did not see in the Sistine Chapel so that the cardinals could vote privately. The account shared a video of the heavy doors of the chapel that closed drastically.
‘Omnes Extra’, ‘Everyone was’.
The doors of the Sistine Chapel close with this proclamation, and all non -essential personnel.
Now that they are gone, Cardinal Raniero CantaMessa will deliver a meditation, inviting the cardinals to a space for prayer and discernment … pic.twitter.com/ty5jrtqvgi– Vatican News (@vaticannews) May 7, 2025
Read more: Where to see the conclave, the Vatican’s thriller about choosing a new Pope
The vote has been taking all the time
Two thirds of the votes of the cardinals are required to choose the next Pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors, and the voting account is never made public.
A conclave can take days or just a week to conclude. In the thirteenth century, according to the reports, three years to choose a Pope, but modern agreements have a much shorter bone. Pope Francis was chosen in the fifth vote on the second day of the conclave in 2013.
There can only be two rounds per day, and a candidate needs two thirds of the votes, plus one to be chosen. If that majority is not reached after three days of voting, the process stops so that the cardinals can pray and discuss their options, reports CBS News.
This time, the new Pope was selected after two days of voting.
