The Vatican’s cardinals gather in conclave today to begin electing the successor to the late Pope Francis—which means the ...

For black smoke, the Vatican uses a mixture of potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulphur. The white smoke used to signal ...

This week, 133 cardinals have gathered in the Vatican to elect a new leader of the Catholic church. During their ...

Tradition holds that black smoke indicates the cardinals have not yet agreed on a new leader, while white smoke signals that ...

When Catholic cardinals vote in the conclave, they then burn their ballots, sending up black smoke to signal no decision or white smoke to show they have chosen a new pope.

A change in popes — through death or resignation — is a complicated process, with centuries-old rituals involving the transition in leadership for both the spiritual head of ...

Black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel's chimney on Wednesday, signaling that the College of Cardinals had not elected a pope.