Everything we know about the first day of the papal conclave Black smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday and again Thursday morning indicated that a new pope had not yet been ...

Cardinals of the conclave have been burning ballots since at least 1417, according to the professor, but it wasn't until the 18th century that the Sistine Chapel had its first chimney installed ...

A bird flies near the chimney on the Sistine Chapel roof, on the second day of the conclave to elect a new pope at the Vatican. REUTERS Back then, the rules were also intended to ease cardinals ...

The longest conclave since 1404 was 182 days in 1740. The most recent conclave before Leo, which elected Pope Francis in 2013, was no different.

White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel just after 6 p.m. Vatican time (noon ET) on Thursday, May 8, signaling to the world that a new pope had been selected. The papal conclave to elect Pope ...

When did the conclave begin? Of the 135 cardinals eligible to vote in this conclave, 133 were in attendance when it began on May 7. The day began with a 10 a.m. Vatican time (4 a.m. ET) Mass ...

At a conclave with many new members, a swift, stunning consensus built around an unknown to many outside of the church. Pope Leo XIV greeting the crowd from the balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica ...

The shortest was the conclave that elected Pius XII in 1939, which took three ballots in two days. Cardinals must reach a two-thirds majority to elect a pope.

The conclave was called after Francis died on April 21 at age 88. There was a delay between his death and the conclave to allow time for a funeral, burial and a period of mourning.