by InTrieste
In a sign that the world’s most storied election is drawing near, workers on Friday morning began the familiar task of installing a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel — the slender stack from which smoke will rise to signal whether a new pope has been chosen.
The chimney, a temporary structure erected ahead of every papal conclave, will serve its solemn function once again starting Wednesday, when 133 cardinal-electors will gather behind the chapel’s frescoed walls to begin the secretive process of selecting a successor to Pope Francis.
According to Italian media reports, members of the Vatican fire brigade are expected to conduct trial runs of the chimney later in the day, ensuring the plume that emerges — black for an inconclusive vote, white for a successful one — is clearly visible to the thousands who are expected to watch from St. Peter’s Square and millions more around the world.
The voting will begin on May 7 and follow a centuries-old rhythm: two ballots in the morning, two in the afternoon. To be elected, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority — at least 89 votes. Until that threshold is reached, black smoke will pour from the chimney. When it finally turns white, the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica will ring out, signaling the birth of a new pontificate.
Inside the Sistine Chapel, preparations are underway to transform Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpiece into a place of deliberation. A raised wooden floor is being laid, along with 12 long wooden tables — six on either side — where the cardinals will sit, pray, and vote beneath “The Last Judgment.”
The symbolism of the smoke has become one of the most iconic traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. Each time it billows into the Roman sky — typically around noon and again around 7 p.m. — the crowd below erupts with anticipation, staring upward for a first glimpse of history being made.
The world waits now, as it has 266 times before, for a signal in the sky.
