For white smoke, a compound of the chemicals potassium chlorate, lactose, and rosin (also known as Greek pitch) is used, while potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulfur are used for the black ...

The previous pope, Pius X, had mandated in 1904 that all papers related to the election, not just the ballots, be burned, "thus producing a great deal more white smoke for the final ballot and ...

RELATED: Black smoke rises — No pope chosen in first round of Vatican conclave voting In 2013, it took nearly an hour after white smoke appeared for Pope Francis to be announced.

Louisiana Creole expert Jari Honora shared his genealogical research on 69-year-old Chicago native Robert Prevost shortly after white smoke rose in St. Peter's Square.

If black smoke comes out of the chimney, it signifies that no candidate has yet received the required two-thirds majority vote. The black smoke is produced using a mixture of potassium perchlorate, ...

It wasn't clear whether grey smoke was closer to black or white, for example. By the 1970s, the straw method had been abandoned in favour of more controllable chemical mixtures.

The 2025 Conclave begins today to elect Pope Francis’s successor. Here’s what time to watch for black or white smoke, how the process works, and where to stream it live.

2 Comments Black smoke rising from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel signalling that cardinals failed to elect a new pope in the first ballot of their conclave in the Vatican on May 7, 2025 Getty ...

FILE;:White smoke is seen from the roof of the Sistine Chapel indicating that the College of Cardinals elected a new Pope on March 13, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican.

Cardinals under 80 will vote in a closed conclave at the Sistine Chapel to elect the next pope. Black smoke means no pope yet; white smoke signals a new pope has been chosen.