Black smoke from Vatican again, no Pope yet

Vatican City: Black smoke rose from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, signalling Roman Catholic cardinals had not agreed on a pope to succeed Benedict on their first full morning of voting in a secret conclave. Cardinals held an initial ballot on Tuesday and held two more on Wednesday morning, with the black smoke showing that both were inconclusive, to the disappointment of crowds gathered in the nearby St. Peter’s Square. Another two rounds were due to be held in the afternoon. The 115 cardinals will remain sequestered in the Vatican until they elect the Church’s 266th pontiff. When they agree on a pope, white smoke will rise from the chimney and the bells of St Peter’s basilica will peal. [caption id=“attachment_659154” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Black smoke billows from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, meaning Roman Catholic cardinals have not elected a pope in their second or third rounds of balloting, at the Vatican. AP[/caption] But what’s with the white smoke and black smoke? Forget all the artistic masterpieces that adorn the Sistine Chapel. The most gazed-at item at the Vatican this week will be a humble, copper, two-meter (six-foot) high chimney that will pipe out puffs of smoke to tell the world if there’s a new pope. Black smoke means ’not yet.’ White smoke means ‘pope elected.’ The Sistine Chapel and its magnificent Michelangelo-frescoed ceiling were made off limits to tourists. Two metal stoves have been installed in a far corner, away from the chapel’s altar and the area where the cardinals will write out their picks for the next pope on slips of paper. In the past, counted ballots went into just one iron stove along with damp wood chips or wet clumps of straw to create black smoke if the vote didn’t yield a pope. But the smoke signal system has been unreliable, triggering nervous cries of “It’s white” and emphatic choruses of “No, it’s black!” in the various tongues of the faithful and curious who flock to St. Peter’s Square for a glimpse of the chimney. So in 2005, for the conclave that made Benedict pope, the Vatican tried something different: A second stove was installed that produces smoke from a chemical compound whipped up by the Vatican’s own technicians. The smoke from the burned ballots from the first stove and the colored smoke from the second stove were funneled up one pipe that leads to the chimney and the outside world. But that solution hardly made the distinction between black and white smoke any clearer — and confusion still was the order of the day. It’s a big unknown whether the Vatican has improved its technology this time around. In following the conclave, it will be wise not just to keep your eyes open, but your ears as well: The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica will be set ringing when a new pope has been chosen. With inputs from Reuters and Associated Press