The Vatican fire brigade has hoisted the chimney stack above the Sistine Chapel, ushering in the final countdown to the conclave that will elect a new pope.
“The Vatican fire brigade has put up the chimney stack, which will announce the election of the new Pope,” the Vatican confirmed on May 2, 2025.
Perched now atop the chapel roof, the chimney will issue puffs of smoke twice daily—black to signal an inconclusive vote, white to announce a successful election.
“The smoke will rise in the morning (except on May 7) and in the evening,” officials said.
If white smoke emerges, it means at least 89 cardinals have agreed on who will lead the Catholic Church, meeting the required two-thirds majority.
The conclave is set to begin on May 7, with 135 cardinal electors—each under the age of 80—gathering inside the chapel’s Renaissance frescoes to choose a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at age 88.
“The Cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel on May 7 to begin the conclave to select the next Pope,” Vatican authorities confirmed.
This conclave is expected to be the largest in the Church’s modern history, reflecting the global reach and reformist direction shaped by Pope Francis’s 11-year papacy.
Of the 135 voting cardinals, 108 were appointed by him, and the electorate spans 71 countries, a striking symbol of a Church more diverse than ever.
Francis’s influence has been especially visible in his efforts to decentralise the Vatican’s power, open doors to dialogue with marginalised communities, and elevate women within Church governance.
His appointment of Sister Simona Brambilla and Sister Raffaella Petrini to key Vatican posts, while not giving them voting rights in this conclave, has set a new tone for Church leadership.
Among the prominent figures being watched are Cardinal Pietro Parolin of Italy, the Vatican Secretary of State known for his diplomatic acumen; Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, a centrist and peacemaker involved in international mediation efforts; and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, a charismatic figure seen as a voice for the Global South and once widely considered a papabile—or potential pope.
Still, tensions linger between conservatives wary of Francis’s reforms and progressives seeking further change. As a result, analysts suggest the conclave
could favour a candidate capable of bridging that divide—a pope who embodies continuity with Francis's vision while reassuring traditionalists of doctrinal stability.
For now, the Sistine Chapel has been sealed.
The cardinals will take an oath of secrecy before casting their ballots under the gaze of Michelangelo’s Last Judgment.
Outside, the world waits, eyes trained on a thin chimney that may, at any moment, announce a new shepherd for the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics.
Until the white smoke curls skyward and the Habemus Papam is proclaimed, the suspense continues—and with it, the hope for a unifying figure who can carry forward the Church’s mission in an increasingly complex world.