The traditional sign came out of the chimney at 6:07 p.m. local time.

On Thursday, the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave, locked inside the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, elected a new pope and announced it to the world with white smoke billowing from the chimney. The smoke rose at 6:07 p.m. local time.

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The identity of the new pope is currently unknown. However, once the white smoke was revealed to the world from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, French protodeacon Dominique Mamberti will make the traditional announcement in Latin, “Habemus Papam.”

Afterward, the new pope will appear on the balcony to present himself to the world and impart his first blessing, “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world).

Since the conclave votes four times a day, including the single vote yesterday, Wednesday, the election presumably took place on the fourth ballot. On Wednesday and Thursday morning, the smoke was black, indicating that there was still no agreement in the first three ballots.

According to Vatican regulations, two-thirds of the votes are required to be elected pope. In this case, there are 133 cardinal electors, so the elected pope needs at least 89 votes.

Pope Francis was elected in 2013 on the fifth ballot, Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) on the fourth, and John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) on the eighth ballot in 1978.

In the last century, the longest elections were those of Pius XI (Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti) in 1922, with fourteen ballots, and that of John XXIII (Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli) in 1958, with eleven.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE – Vatican News

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