If the new pope is not elected on the first morning ballot, a second ballot is held immediately. Both ballots are burned together, leading to possible smoke around noon Rome time. If, however, the pope is elected on the first morning ballot, the white smoke will appear shortly after 10:30 a.m.
The same process is repeated in the afternoon. After a brief break, two more votes will be held. If neither is conclusive, the smoke is expected around 7 p.m. Rome time. However, if the pope is elected on the first ballot of the afternoon, white smoke would be seen shortly after 5:30 p.m.
Thus, on both Thursday and Friday, observers should be alert for four possible times when the smoke may appear each day: two around noon and two in the evening.
The cardinals are following a structured regimen during the conclave, beginning each day with Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, followed by transfer to the Sistine Chapel for voting. They remain completely sequestered from the outside world, with no access to phones, internet, or news media.
The historical average length for modern conclaves is approximately three days, though the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 lasted only two days.
AC Wimmer is the News Editor for Europe and Asia at EWTN News. The multilingual Australian, raised in Bavaria and South Africa, served as editor-in-chief of several news media outlets. A graduate in Philosophy and Chinese Studies from the University of Melbourne, the veteran journalist is a former Honorary Research Fellow in Communications at his alma mater and served on the Board of Caritas in Munich.
