All eyes in the Vatican were on the papal election that began on Wednesday and will determine a new spiritual leader for the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. The long-awaited moment arrived on the second day of the election process (conclave), which was followed with great curiosity and excitement. After four rounds of secret balloting, white smoke rising from the chimney above the historic Sistine Chapel in the Vatican heralded the election of a new pope.
As the white smoke rose into the sky, the echoing sound of church bells immediately followed, sending tens of thousands of believers gathered in St. Peter's Square into a frenzied celebration. As shouts of "Long live the pope" echoed through the square, the eager anticipation of who would become the new spiritual leader lasted for about an hour.
“Habemus Papam”: First American Pope Announced
Finally, the long-awaited announcement of “Habemus Papam” (We have a Pope) was made from the historical balcony of the San Pietro Basilica. Catholics and curious eyes from all over the world held their breath to find out who the new pope was. With the announcement, it was announced that the new spiritual leader of the Catholic Church was American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost.
Prevost, 69, also stands out as a Peruvian citizen. With this election, which is considered a historical turning point, Robert Francis Prevost became the first American pope of the Catholic Church. The new pope announced that he would use Leo XIV as his papal name. Prevost's emphasis on peace in his first speech was welcomed by Catholics around the world.
Debates Steering the Election of a New Pope
The process of electing a pope took place in the context of different views and expectations within the Catholic Church. The issues of adapting the church more to the modern world, combating sexual abuse scandals, and taking a more active role in global problems such as poverty and injustice were among the important discussions that influenced the cardinals' choices. In particular, the voting of cardinals with different visions of the future of the church and its impact on the world caused the result to be awaited with such curiosity.
Congratulatory Message from Trump
US President Donald Trump released a message on his social media platform congratulating the new Pope, Robert Francis Prevost. Trump said, “What an honor for our country,” and expressed that he was eagerly waiting to meet the new pope. This congratulatory message was also considered an important signal for the future of relations between the US and the Vatican.
A Historical Turning Point: The Era of Italian Popes Ends
In the history of the Catholic Church, more than 266 of the 200 popes came from Italy. In fact, until 1978, popes had been of Italian origin for 455 years without interruption. However, this long tradition ended in 1978 when the last Italian pope elected, Albino Luciani, died unexpectedly within 33 days. The same year, the era of Italian popes was officially closed with the election of Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II. The election of Robert Francis Prevost is considered a historical milestone in terms of the church's universality and the rise of leaders from different cultures.
Who is Robert Francis Prevost?
Robert Francis Prevost, who went down in history as the first US pope of the Catholic Church, actually has a family with roots stretching back to different European countries. His family roots go back to France, Italy and Spain. Prevost was born on September 14, 1955 in Chicago, USA. His father, Louis Marius Prevost, was of French and Italian origin, while his mother, Mildred Martínez, was of Spanish origin. A member of a family of three children, Prevost's life was shaped by missionary activities and archbishopric duties for many years. Prevost, who lived in Peru for many years and undertook important religious duties in this country, also acquired Peruvian citizenship. In 2023, he was made a cardinal by Pope Francis, which led to him being seen as a potential candidate for the papacy.
Conclave Process and Meaning of White Smoke
On Wednesday afternoon, May 7, the cardinals-electors locked themselves in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican to elect a new pope. The first session of the conclave began at 16.30:17.43 p.m., with the announcement of “all out” (extra omnes) at 21.00:133 p.m. The election officially began. The first black smoke rose from the iconic chimney of the Sistine Chapel at 89 p.m. The black smoke meant that no candidate had reached the required two-thirds majority (minimum of XNUMX votes) in the first vote of XNUMX cardinals.
On Thursday morning, May 8, the cardinals re-entered the Sistine Chapel for new votes. Black smoke rose from the chimney of the chapel during the two votes that took place in the morning. However, after the new and fourth session on Thursday afternoon, the white smoke that the whole world had been waiting for was seen at 18.08:XNUMX. This white smoke meant that the cardinals had a majority and elected a new pope.
Post-White Smoke Rituals and “Urbi et Orbi”
After the white smoke rose, a series of religious rituals were expected to be completed, such as the cardinals taking the oath of allegiance and the new pope donning his white robe. There is a room in the Vatican called the “crying room” because of the emotional moments that some popes have experienced in the past when preparing for their new duties, and which contains three different sizes of costumes for new popes. After these rituals are completed, the historic “we have a pope” (habemus papam) announcement is made from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Here, the identity of the new pope and the name he has chosen for this important duty are announced to the world. Then, the new pope addresses the Catholic world by making his first speech, known as “to the city and to the world” (Urbi et orbi), from the balcony.
The Symbol of the Pope Election: The World's Most Famous Chimney
For the papal elections, a special chimney is placed on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. This chimney, whose images are broadcast live by world television channels throughout the election process, is the only tangible connection to the outside world of the election, which is conducted with great secrecy. The color of the smoke rising from the chimney is the first and most important sign of the election result. Black smoke indicates that no candidate has reached the required majority in the vote, while white smoke heralds that a majority has been reached and the new pope has accepted office. The church bells accompanying the white smoke increase the excitement of this historic moment.
The origins of the smoke ritual date back to the 1800s. Initially, only the burning of ballot papers and documents produced grayish smoke, and the public only received the message that an election had taken place. In 1914, the distinction between black and white smoke became clear. In the past, white smoke was obtained by burning documents with wet straw. However, it is known that this method did not always produce reliable results and sometimes confusingly colored smoke was seen from the chimney. Since 2005, auxiliary substances have been used to distinguish smoke colors more clearly. Cartridges containing potassium perchlorate, anthracene and sulfur are placed in a special device added next to the stove where the ballot papers are burned for black smoke, and cartridges containing potassium chlorate, lactose and resin for white smoke.
Conclave: Locking Up the Cardinals
The main reason why the smoke ritual has attracted so much attention is that the election of the pope is carried out in great secrecy. In order to keep the election process secret and to prevent the cardinals participating in the election from being influenced in any way by outsiders, strict secrecy rules are applied. These rules include locking the electing cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. This is why the election of the pope is called a “conclave” (cum clave), which is Latin for “locked with a key”.
Similar strict security measures are being taken at the Santa Marta Guest House in the Vatican, where the cardinals spend their time outside of voting and stay. All staff here are also sworn to secrecy, and breaking this oath is punishable by automatic excommunication. Staff are not allowed to communicate even with their families during the election period, and their communication with the cardinals is strictly restricted and only in cases of necessity. Cardinals are also strictly prohibited from using communication devices such as cell phones and smart watches, or from following media outlets such as television, radio and newspapers. The Vatican press office announced that mobile telecommunications signal transmission systems in Vatican City State were also disabled during the election. However, it was announced that St. Peter’s Square, where large crowds gather for the papal election, was excluded from this practice. Detailed scans were also carried out in the chapel and guest house for electronic devices such as eavesdropping devices in order to prevent possible leaks of information.
How Did the Voting Process Work?
In the first stage of the conclave, after all the cardinals have taken their places in the Sistine Chapel and sworn an oath, the master of ceremonies announces “all out” (extra omnes) and the doors of the chapel are locked. Ballot papers with the words “Eligo in Summum Ponteficem” written in Latin are distributed to the cardinals, each of whom secretly writes a name. The cardinals fold the ballot papers, preserving the secrecy of their votes, and throw them into the ballot box, accompanied by a Latin oath.
Then, three cardinals, who were appointed as election inspectors, carefully mix the votes and start opening them. After the first two cardinal counters look at the name on the cardinal ballot, the third reads it out loud. After the votes are meticulously recorded, the ballots are perforated and tied together with red string. These ballots are burned in a specially set up stove along with other relevant documents. There is no official time limit for electing a pope. Conclaves have been known throughout history to last from a few hours to about three years. However, the last two popes were elected on the second day of voting. In the 2013 election, Pope Francis won the election on the evening of the second day, at the end of the fifth round of voting.
“Unpredictable Election” With Record Number of Cardinals in Participation
This latest conclave, which began on Wednesday, was described by Vatican experts as the “most unpredictable papal election” due to factors such as the record high number of cardinals-electors, the fact that they come from different parts of the world and that many of them do not know each other well. Although the number of cardinals, also known as the “princes” of the Catholic Church, is currently 252, 80 cardinals were eligible to vote in this election due to reasons such as the age limit of 133 and health problems. In order for a new pope to be elected, a two-thirds majority of the valid votes, or at least 133 out of 89 votes, was required. The average age of the cardinals-electors was 72, while the youngest cardinal was 45 and represented Ukraine. Of the 135 cardinals who participated in the election, 108 were appointed during the term of Pope Francis. The dynamics of this latest election were significantly affected by Francis's efforts to de-center the church in Europe by appointing cardinals to parts of the world that had not previously had cardinals.
