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On the afternoon of Thursday, May 8, white smoke from the Sistine Chapel's chimney billowed into the sky, prompting waves of ...

Papal conclave ballots have been burned to maintain secrecy for centuries. Ballot smoke has been used to announce a decision since 1914.

With all the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 Catholic cardinals are beginning the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a new pope, opening the most ...

A solitary chimney above the Sistine Chapel will soon be the most watched object in the world. After each round of voting during the conclave to choose a new pope, the ballots are burned ...

Simply put, a conclave is the assembly of cardinals that elects a pope. The word itself comes from the Latin "com" and "clavis," meaning "together" and "key," respectively – highlighting the absolute, ...

The chimney that will let the world know when cardinals have chosen a successor to Pope Francis was installed ... putting up the fixture ahead of the conclave set to begin next Wednesday.

More than 130 cardinals from all over the world are gathering today for the papal conclave, through which a new head of the Catholic Church is elected.

Update: White smoke poured from the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday afternoon at the Vatican, indicating that the cardinal electors in the conclave had chosen a new pope.

Over 130 voting cardinals must decide whether to continue in the direction of Francis or elect a pope likely to choose a more traditional path.

Black smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday ... The longest conclave on record dragged on for nearly three years. Pope Gregory X was finally elected in September of 1271 ...

Seagull perched on Sistine Chapel chimney 2:30 p.m. ET ... specially arranged ahead of the Papal Conclave to elect the new pope as voting desks for the 133 cardinals have been placed beneath ...