Smoke Signals and Sacred Votes: How the Next Pope Is Chosen

🔥 The Story: The Papal Conclave Begins

Today, May 7, 2025, 133 cardinal electors have entered the Sistine Chapel to begin the sacred and secretive process of selecting the 267th pope, following the death of Pope Francis last month Axios. This conclave is notable for its unprecedented diversity, with cardinals hailing from 71 countries, reflecting the global nature of the Catholic Church New York Post.

---

🕊️ How Is a New Pope Elected?

The election of a new pope follows a centuries-old tradition known as the papal conclave. Here's a breakdown of the process:

1. Eligibility and Assembly: Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote. These cardinal electors gather in Rome and participate in general congregations to discuss the needs of the Church before the conclave begins USCCB.

2. Sequestration: The cardinals are sequestered within the Vatican, specifically in the Sistine Chapel, to ensure confidentiality. They take an oath of secrecy, and all forms of communication with the outside world are prohibited .Latest news & breaking headlines+3The Enquirer+3PBS: Public Broadcasting Service+3Axios+1ABC News+1

3. Voting Process: Voting is conducted in silence, with each cardinal writing the name of their chosen candidate on a ballot. Four rounds of voting can occur each day—two in the morning and two in the afternoon—until a candidate receives a two-thirds majority, which currently equates to 89 votes .The Washington Post+5USCCB+5Latest news & breaking headlines+5

4. Smoke Signals: After each voting session, the ballots are burned. Black smoke (fumata nera) indicates no decision has been made, while white smoke (fumata bianca) signals that a new pope has been elected .Fox NewsCadena SER+2The Washington Post+2New York Post+2

5. Acceptance and Announcement: Once a candidate achieves the required majority, he is asked if he accepts the position. Upon acceptance, he chooses a papal name. The new pope then dons the papal vestments and is introduced to the world from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica with the proclamation "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope") .PBS: Public Broadcasting Service / The Washington Post

---

📌 Key Terms:

• Conclave: Derived from Latin "cum clave," meaning "with a key," referring to the seclusion of the cardinals during the election process.The Washington Post

• Fumata Nera/Fumata Bianca: Italian terms for "black smoke" and "white smoke," indicating the outcome of the voting sessions..css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Give us three minutes and we'll give you everything you
need to know for the day with Nina's what's trending.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Today is the day and thirty three cardinals are sequestering
themselves behind the Vatican's medieval walls to start the conclave
to pick the next pope.

Speaker 3 (00:13):
It should be like a movie. It is a movie.
It's called Conclave. Oh, it just was oscars and stuff. Yeah,
it just came out a little while ago. Sounds pretty
cool about eighty movies on this time. It's like I'm
gonna be watching one of those Todays.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
The interesting thing is, though, so they they're taking no chances.
They're cutting off all of the cardinals from the world.
So they've taken their phones. Okay, that makes sense. They're
also deactivating cell phone coverage at the Vatican, and then
they're using signal jammers around the Sistine Chapel to make
sure that there's no like connection to the outside world whatsoever.

Speaker 4 (00:47):
Yes, they do every time. Yeah, if it's carl and
absolute sequestion in the.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Catholic Church and you can't abstain from tweeting during that time,
are you standing from.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
The other things they're supposed to be it's doing from.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
I know, that's kind of why I was thinking, like,
that's why it feels so extreme, Like shouldn't they just
know to not do that?

Speaker 3 (01:08):
Why do you got to jam at just in case?

Speaker 4 (01:11):
Well, they also don't want well because this is a thing.
This sometimes this is like whoever know, like the next
pope could be there for fifty sixty years, right, Yeah,
So this is very delicate information. Their conversations are very delicate.

Speaker 3 (01:25):
It's not so.

Speaker 4 (01:26):
Much about them leaking as much as it is like
the reason the jammer is happening because they don't want
to get hacked somehow. They don't want their phones to
be in the same room as the conversations going. We
all talk about Instagram's listening to us. I talked about
a boat, and now it's trying to sell me boat shoes.
You know, So they just don't want anything.

Speaker 3 (01:47):
To be I guess that makes sense. How cool, Robbie.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
If they got together for their conclave and then they
released that white smoke and then they come out and
they're like, we've decided the new pope is seth rogen.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
A different cloud of smoke.

Speaker 4 (02:03):
Yeah, exactly, by the way, by the rules, they could
do that they could technically put anyone they want doesn't
have to be a cardinal. It just always has been.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
I feel like it makes the most sense to be
a cardinal, but I guess Taylor swift on it. Yeah,
switch it up, Hey man? Can they pick somebody?

Speaker 2 (02:20):
And then they're like, oh, I don't know if I
want to be one or not. Can you turn down.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
Being the pope? Would you turn down being the I
don't know. It's a lot of responsibility. Some people don't
want to handle all that, Like I don't want to
be the pope. I guess that's true.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
They don't want to be the pope either, But I
mean to be dope though, actually it kind of would
be cool the pope.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
Would you want to be the pope?

Speaker 4 (02:43):
You're not actually the leader of anything, but you're the
leader of every Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
Oh I'm not just the leader of a country. I'm
a leader of religious people all over the world. That's
so true.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Okay, you are not allowed to be the pope.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
Icye chains, big rings, yes, chain.

Speaker 4 (03:00):
I see, I see jewelry, you know, bring back the Crusades,
That's what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yeah, No, I don't.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
Think so, because you'd have that kind.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
Of all right, Well, I'll see who the cardinals end
up choosing as we watch for the smoke in the
upcoming days to see how long this takes, and hopefully
they will not be a dictator, though it.

Speaker 4 (03:24):
Seems to be the going thing to be.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
Well, this is interesting show, baby.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Yeah, I'll you go out there on that that balcony
that it comes out on, and you just do a show.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
You mic up Theresa, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,
children of all ages.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
I feel like you should build out on your home
coming to the balcony.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
What's up baby, you guys doing out there in the
Vatican yard today?

Speaker 3 (03:53):
Huh? Usually that would be kind of oh, what's your
what's your pope name? Saint rock and wool, that's what's trending.

Speaker 4 (04:03):
I think that.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
I really don't know. They mean that with all of
the respect in the world. Catholics, please don't take that wrong.

Speaker 3 (04:11):
Take it all wrong.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
Character just got back from America doing some work with
the church, and boy or my arm's tired.

Speaker 3 (04:21):
You have to laugh at that because I'm the pope.
Maybe yeah, you see a hit.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
Victorian and I are looking at each other like, oh
my gosh, and God and Jubel are dying on My.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
Family is Catholic to turn that out of cheek. Don't
worry about us, yeah,