Black smoke emerges from chimney as cardinals fail to agree on new pope

Signal from Sistine Chapel chimney shows deliberations will continue over new leader of the Catholic church

Black smoke billows from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel during the conclave to elect a successor of late Pope Francis, at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Black smoke billowed from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, signalling that the cardinals locked in a conclave have not yet chosen a new pope to guide the Roman Catholic Church.

Thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter's Square and waited for smoke to pour from the flue on the chapel's roof, which it did shortly before 11am.