Livestream: Watch as newly elected pope is announced
The papal conclave, hosted by the College of Cardinals, began on Wednesday. Black smoke plumed from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday night, indicating an inconclusive first vote. The cardinals are tasked with voting for one of their colleagues to take over the role of pontiff.
Before the election began, each cardinal took an oath of secrecy and the Sistine Chapel's doors were sealed, sequestering the cardinals from the "outside world." Each cardinal votes by secret ballot, says a prayer and then drops his ballot into a large chalice, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website states. The conclave concludes once one candidate receives a two-thirds majority vote.
Live updates: Black smoke signals no pope elected in latest conclave vote
USA TODAY will livestream coverage of the conclave's first day between 3 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 8. It will also be available on the USA TODAY YouTube channel.
Because the cardinals are sequestered during a conclave, black or white smoke is used to represent the cardinals' decisions for the day, bellowing from a Sistine Chapel chimney.
Black smoke indicates that one candidate has not received the necessary votes and more voting lies ahead.
White smoke, on the contrary, means a candidate has received the necessary votes and will soon be introduced to the world as the new pontiff.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pope livestream: Watch as new pontiff is announced
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