What time will we see white or black smoke from conclave? US time zone info
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on May 7, 2025
The cardinals who enter the Sistine Chapel use smoke signals to let the outside world know when a new pope has been chosen.
WASHINGTON — The election of the next pope will begin Wednesday as cardinals from across the globe convene for a conclave, where they will vote on the next leader of the Catholic church in a highly ritualized process.
Because the deliberations and votes are secret, the cardinals who enter the Sistine Chapel use smoke signals to communicate with the outside world.
If black smoke appears, that means a new pope has not yet been chosen. But if white smoke is seen over the Vatican, then the Cardinals have selected a new pope to lead the church.
What time will we see white or black smoke from the conclave?
The conclave is set to begin Wednesday afternoon, when the cardinals walk into the Sistine Chapel. They’ll take their oaths of secrecy, hear a meditation from a senior cardinal, and then can cast their first vote.
Italy is six hours ahead of the East Coast, so with the time zone difference between the U.S. and the Vatican, it’s likely that the first vote on Wednesday would happen in the late morning or early afternoon for most Americans.
According to America Magazine, a Jesuit-published monthly outlet, in 2013, black smoke from the first ballot was spotted at 7:41 p.m. local time. In 2005, the black smoke appeared at 8:05 p.m. (which would be 2 p.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. Central, Noon Mountain and 11 a.m. Pacific).
Assuming no candidate secures the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, the cardinals will retire for the day and return on Thursday. They will have two ballots in the morning and then two in the afternoon, until a winner is found.
While there can be four rounds of voting each day, there’s usually only two smoke signals. That’s because if the first ballot of a morning or afternoon session does not end in an election, another vote begins immediately. So, two ballots are burned together.
When to look for smoke from the conclave in U.S. time zones
If this conclave sticks to the similar schedule set in 2013, America Magazine predicts starting Thursday there could be smoke signals around 10:30 a.m., noon, 5:30 p.m. and after 7 p.m. local time:
Eastern time: 4:30 a.m., 6 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m.
Central: 3:30 a.m., 5 a.m., 10:30 a.m., Noon
Mountain: 2:30 a.m., 4 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m.
Pacific: 1:30 a.m., 3 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m.
However, there would generally only be smoke around the first and third time slots each day if a pope has been elected. Otherwise, another vote would begin immediately and smoke wouldn’t come until the second vote of the morning or afternoon session.
How long is the conclave?
The conclave will go on for as long as the cardinals need to elect a new pope, and could last for days or weeks. A person needs to secure two-thirds of the vote in order to become the next pope.
The longest conclave in history started in 1268, when Pope Clement IV died. His successor wasn’t picked for 1,006 days.
But recent history indicates that it might not be a drawn-out process, and we’ll likely know who the next pope is long before another possible record.
Since 1900, no conclave has lasted for more than four days. And that time has grown shorter in modern history. In 2005, when Pope Benedict XVI was elected, it took less than 48 hours of voting. Pope Francis had a similar timeline in 2013.
Although there have been a number of names thrown out for consideration ahead of the conclave, Pope Francis appointed 110 of the cardinals eligible to vote in this conclave. Although their politics may not have always aligned, the cardinals could be pushed by that toward a successor Francis would have approved of, making an early consensus more likely.
What is the smoke during the conclave?
Because the cardinals are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel for the conclave, voting is done in secret. But thousands of people gathered in Rome will await a smoke signal that will tell whether a new pontiff has been elected.
The cardinals burn their ballots in a special furnace, mixing them with chemical agents that produce either white or black smoke, depending on the outcome.
Every two ballots without a new pope, the old ones are burned, giving off black smoke.
If a pope is chosen, the ballots are mixed with ingredients that give off white smoke instead.
It is likely that the cardinals will only do one round of voting on the first day of the conclave on Wednesday. Even with only one round of ballots, they will be burned either way at the end of the day to give watchers an answer. Starting Thursday, expect smoke to erupt from the chimney for the first time in the mid morning or around noon (Either way it’ll be early morning in the U.S.).
Each day can typically have up to four rounds of voting, meaning smoke will come from the chimney twice each day until a pope is chosen.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
