The 2025 Conclave: Electing a New Pope – Live Updates

Black smoke is pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no pope was elected on the first ballot of the conclave.

Black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Thursday morning (Manila time), which means that no pope was elected.

It seems it’s not just Catholics who are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the conclave, as even seagulls sat atop the Sistine Chapel chimney.

LOOK: The sight of black smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney confirms that the conclave's first vote has not resulted in the election of a new pope.

This means no one has secured the two-thirds majority of the votes, and the cardinal electors will proceed to a second round on… pic.twitter.com/tTkgeDejx7

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) May 7, 2025

NO NEW POPE YET

Black smoke billows from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling that the first vote of the papal conclave has ended without electing a new pope.

•⁠ ⁠Follow live updates on the #Conclave: https://t.co/v7XlpwYdKR pic.twitter.com/36rVV8JMEI

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) May 7, 2025

Veteran journalists Jessica Soho and Korina Sanchez-Roxas, hailing from two rival television networks, met at the Vatican.

Among the massive crowds of people waiting for the first round of smoke to emanate from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, several Filipino Catholic pilgrims were hoping for the Church to be led by a pope who is one of their own: Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.

LOOK: Anticipation builds at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican as the crowd awaits the smoke from the Sistine Chapel following the first round of voting during the conclave. | 📷: Vatican News/Facebook

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— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) May 7, 2025

PH REPRESENT 🇵🇭

LOOK: Some of the people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City are Filipinos, with one even carrying the Philippine flag, as thousands outside St. Peter’s Basilica await the result of the first balloting of the conclave. | 📷: Fr. Edmel Raagas via… pic.twitter.com/3E0GwRNSJ9

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) May 7, 2025

The doors of the Sistine Chapel closed on Wednesday, signaling the beginning of the conclave in which 133 cardinals will elect the successor to Pope Francis.

‘EXTRA OMNES’

LOOK: Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, closes the doors of the famed Sistine Chapel, signaling the start of the papal conclave.

About 133 cardinal electors, including three from the Philippines, will choose Pope… pic.twitter.com/iVq1riSFq4

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) May 7, 2025

The conclave to elect the next pope has begun.

About 133 Catholic cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel, located in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican, to choose Pope Francis’ successor.

• Follow live updates on the #Conclave: https://t.co/v7XlpwYdKR pic.twitter.com/vYQgYr47Vy

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) May 7, 2025

During his homily at the pre-conclave Holy Mass on Wednesday, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re emphasized that unity of the Catholic Church.

LOOK: Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, Bishop of Kalookan, takes a solemn oath of secrecy ahead of the papal conclave today, May 7.

David, who also serves as the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, is one of three Filipinos among the 133 cardinal… pic.twitter.com/rilavZ7Iuu

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) May 7, 2025

LOOK: Cardinal Jose Advincula, Archbishop of Manila, takes his solemn oath of secrecy ahead of the papal conclave today, May 7.

Advincula is one of three Filipinos among the 133 cardinal electors, together with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David. | 📸:… pic.twitter.com/Q1giLdqOaZ

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) May 7, 2025

Cardinals electing a new pope began taking an oath of secrecy Wednesday in the Sistine Chapel before being locked into the conclave.

LOOK: The 133 cardinal electors take an oath of secrecy ahead of the papal conclave today, May 7. | 📷: Vatican News

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— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) May 7, 2025

A Filipino seminarian was the cross-bearer in the Holy Mass for the Papal conclave at the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Wednesday.

LOOK: The 133 cardinal electors begin their procession to the Sistine Chapel for the papal conclave today, May 7. | 📸: Vatican News

• Follow live updates on the #Conclave: https://t.co/v7XlpwYLAp pic.twitter.com/b2cBLd8qkC

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) May 7, 2025

The 133 Catholic cardinals who will elect a new pope gathered Wednesday to pray in the Vatican’s Pauline Chapel ahead of the conclave.

LOOK: The 133 cardinal electors gather in the Pauline Chapel, where they will begin their procession to the Sistine Chapel for the papal conclave. | 📸: Vatican News

• Follow live updates on the #Conclave: https://t.co/v7XlpwYdKR pic.twitter.com/Ubf975K5CJ

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) May 7, 2025

Pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square watch Mass on a giant Jumbotron, as the proceedings inside the Pauline and Sistine Chapels remain off-limits to the public.

Teodoro Bacani Jr. said that praying to the Holy Spirit will give the cardinals the wisdom to choose the next leader of the Catholic Church.

The dean of the College of Cardinals urged electors to choose a pope who can guide the Church through a “difficult and complex turning point in history.”

Cardinals from five continents held a final mass in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Wednesday before sealing themselves away to elect a new pope.

133 cardinals from 70 nations begin conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor, in the most globally diverse and secretive papal vote in Church history.

Cardinal electors should not think the conclave is for them but to determine who among them will be chosen as the next pope.

When 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.

Papal conclaves don’t just elect the next pope — they mark turning points in the history of the Catholic Church and, often, the wider world

As cardinals follow solemn tradition and enter the conclave starting Wednesday to choose Pope Francis’s successor, bookies are reveling in huge bets.

When the Sistine Chapel doors lock today, cardinals enter one of the most polarized and contested papal elections in modern Church history.

The Catholic cardinals gathered ahead of the conclave to elect a new pope called on Tuesday for ceasefires and peace negotiations in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Three Filipino cardinals eligible to enter the Vatican conclave had been sent to Vatican City for the papal election, the CBCP said.

Though they can’t vote, 900 female Catholic order leaders met in Rome as cardinals prepare to elect a new pope just miles away in a historic conclave.

Cardinals wrapped up their pre-conclave meetings Tuesday, trying to identify a possible new pope who could follow Pope Francis.

Cardinals from around the globe moved into a Vatican guest house ahead of the conclave to choose Pope Francis’s successor.

Cardinals wrapped up their pre-conclave meetings Tuesday, trying to identify a possible new pope who could follow Pope Francis.

As the world turns its eyes on the conclave, Cardinal David is considered as a “papabile” and even a “dark horse” candidate.

The first clue of the next pope’s direction will be the name the winner chooses.

Papal conclaves are governed by the utmost secrecy. Cardinal electors surrender all personal devices and cut off every link to the outside world.

Cardinals from around the world will meet under Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel on May 7 to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church.

Hype has been building on social media around the Catholic Church’s secretive, centuries-old tradition of conclaves to elect a new pope.

Cardinals will on Tuesday begin moving into the Vatican accommodation where they will stay during the conclave, on the eve of their historic vote.

The Vatican said it would cut the phone signal within the tiny city state during the conclave to elect a new pope — but this would not affect St Peter’s Square.

During a papal election, cardinals give up all communication—phones, email, social media—as they enter total seclusion inside the Sistine Chapel.

Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is sometimes called the “Asian Francis” because of his infectious smile, easy laugh, and spontaneity with words.

Locations in the Vatican where the new pope’s election will play out in the coming days are part of a priceless cultural heritage.

Cardinals don’t vote by region, but geography offers clues to their priorities as they choose the next pope for the 1.4-billion strong Catholic Church.

Cardinals from all over the world are poised to elect a successor to Pope Francis at the conclave that begins Wednesday.

If the next pope is from sub-Saharan Africa, he would be the first in Catholic Church history. Catholic Africans think it is a long shot.

Pope Francis left much unfinished business for his successor—from the Vatican’s disastrous finances to discontent among traditionalists.

The film “Conclave” spotlights papal elections, but the centuries-old tradition of voting for a pope is rich in ritual, drama, and fascinating trivia.

Rome buzzes with blooms and tourists, while cardinals mingle privately to weigh who should succeed Pope Francis—just like before Francis was elected.

Besides its masterpieces by Michelangelo, the Sistine Chapel is undergoing a makeover ahead of a conclave to decide the Catholic Church’s new pope.

He said in the United Kingdom, about 30,000 pounds (almost $40,000) have been wagered as of this week with one leading betting platform.

Firefighters installed the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on Friday that will emit white smoke to signal the election of a new pope.

Cardinals say Becciu’s conviction isn’t final as he skips conclave amid ongoing appeal in Vatican’s “trial of the century” over embezzlement charges.

A week before the conclave, preparatory talks intensified as cardinals sounded out potential candidates — with many hoping the election will be quick.

There are no official candidates for the papacy, but some cardinals are considered “papabile,” or possessing the characteristics necessary to become pope.

Vatican post offices and selected collectors’ shops started selling special stamps marking the period between Pope Francis’ death and the election of his successor.

A seasoned diplomat who worked with Pope Francis for 12 years, Cardinal Pietro Parolin is well-known and a serious contender to be the next pontiff.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle was named as one of the cardinals who will assist the camerlengo to start preparations for the May 7 conclave.

The Vatican’s criminal court convicted Cardinal Angelo Becciu in 2023 of embezzlement and other finance-related charges.

For decades, the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests was covered up by the Church. But cardinals on Monday listed it as a key challenge for the next pope.

Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle was tasked to assist the prelate appointed by the late Pope to oversee Vatican City’s administrative duties

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, a convicted embezzler, will not take part in the conclave to elect the new Catholic leader, Italian media reported Monday.

Catholic cardinals on Monday set May 7 as the start date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor..

Red-hatted cardinals were expected to pick a date Monday for the conclave to elect a new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

For Cardinal Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David, the selection process for the next pope should not be turned into “a worldly spectacle.”

Cardinals are debating whether a convicted cardinal can join the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor.

With Pope Francis laid to rest, all eyes turn now to the conclave, the secretive meeting of cardinals set to convene within days to elect a new pope.

Cardinals in meetings ahead of the start of a secret conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis are scratching the hair under their red

As the Vatican prepares for the secret meeting of cardinals who will pick a successor to Pope Francis, forget—to some extent—what

As the Vatican began process to choose the next pope, here are the terms you might encounter during the entire transition.

With the death of Pope Francis, attention now turns to the selection of his successor which will be done in a conclave.

During the upcoming conclave, the cardinal-electors will gather in the Sistine Chapel to elect a successor to Pope Francis in a highly-secretive process.