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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Newsweek
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Newsweek
an hour ago
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. U.S. President Donald Trump's triumphant strides back into the White House put NATO's European countries, as well as Canada, on edge. His historic skepticism about the alliance was one thing, but military planners in countries buying U.S. hardware began questioning whether the F-35—the world's most expensive weapons program—had been the right choice. The Lockheed Martin-made F-35 is the only real option for Western militaries outside the U.S. to get hold of a fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft, and many of the 20 nations operating or buying them are NATO members. Fifth-generation planes are the most advanced currently in operation, with sixth-generation aircraft in the early development stages. As Trump settled back into the Oval Office, rumors of a "kill switch" started floating around in defense circles. 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The person was referring to all military supplies but indicated a broader worry about the rapprochement with Russia that Trump pursued from the start of his second term. More recently, the president has become more publicly frustrated with Russia as ceasefire negotiations made little headway. "If I were sitting in the Baltics at the moment, I would be thinking very seriously about the F-35 and the constraints that might be put on me" in the long term, Sir Christopher Coville, a retired U.K. air marshal, told Newsweek. A central European official involved with defense planning told Newsweek earlier this year that the countries operating F-35s in Europe had reassured one another their commitment to the fifth-generation stealth fighters was "ironclad." Dutch defense minister Ruben Brekelmans said in March it was in the "interest of all" for the F-35 to succeed. "I don't see any signs of the United States backtracking," Brekelmans added. 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Portugal's outgoing government said in March that Lisbon needed to consider the new "geopolitical environment" when considering a recommendation to purchase F-35s, which cost roughly $100 million apiece. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in June the review would be wrapped up by the end of the summer, and that Ottawa had discussed fighter jet and submarine purchases with NATO allies. Trump has repeatedly called Canada the "51st state," a label slapped away by Ottawa. But the hint that the administration could annex Canada has lingered, albeit as an unlikely prospect. Retired Lieutenant General Yvan Blondin, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force from 2012 until 2015, has advocated for a long, hard look at Canada's F-35 order. It is worth examining whether fourth-generation alternatives could work, he told Newsweek, but said "there's no better military option" than the U.S. stealth jet. 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And there was tension last month after France told Germany it wanted a workshare of 80 percent in the project. The U.S. has two main programs, one for the Air Force, one for the Navy. Trump unveiled the Air Force's F-47 at a March briefing. "We're confident that it massively overpowers the capabilities of any other nation," he said. The Pentagon hopes to prioritize F-47 development over the Navy's parallel program, F/A-XX. It believes pursuing two programs at once could slow down both, Bloomberg reported in June. But Trump, in the same briefing, said the version of the "most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built" sold to allies would be "toned down" by 10 percent. It is widely accepted that the U.S. has blunted its cutting-edge technology before it is shipped abroad, experts and officials said. It was the overt acknowledgment of something that had for decades been expressed in private that threw allies and prospective buyers, said the central European official. "This is not a great selling point for the F-47," said Blondin. An F-35 is assembled at Lockheed Martin Fort Worth Texas. An F-35 is assembled at Lockheed Martin Fort Worth Texas. MSgt USMC ret Randy A. Crites/Lockheed Martin Corporation There is a "bigger incentive" now for European NATO members to be involved in European-led sixth-generation programs, the central European official previously told Newsweek. They said they expected more countries to want to have a look-in at the development of these aircraft, and particularly to have their domestic industry contribute to sixth-generation programs. There will certainly be more interest in the jets' development on the continent now than before Trump was reelected, said Gabrielius Landsbergis, who served as Lithuania's foreign minister until November 2024. "There will be an increased pressure on pan-European projects, that is for sure," Landsbergis told Newsweek.
