After the death of Pope Francis, Catholics enter a nine-day mourning period before starting the process of choosing a new pope. This begins with the papal conclave, a secretive gathering of 135 cardinal electors under the age of 80, held in the Sistine Chapel in Rome. They stay isolated from the outside world to focus solely on the task of electing a new pope.
During the conclave, cardinals vote up to four times a day. After each round, the ballots are burned, and smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel chimney. The color of the smoke signals the outcome of the vote to the public.
Black smoke (fumata nera) means no decision has been made, while white smoke (fumata bianca) means a new pope has been chosen. If voting remains inconclusive after three days, cardinals pause to reflect before resuming.
Once a new pope is elected, he may choose a new name in honor of a past pope. He is then introduced to the public from St. Peter’s Basilica with the words “Habemus papam” — Latin for “We have a pope.”
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