White smoke vs. black smoke: What it means for the pope

VATICAN CITY - All eyes are on the copper chimney of the Sistine Chapel, following Pope Francis’ death on Easter Monday. 

With the death of Pope Francis, attention turns to the selection of his successor. The next pope will be chosen in what is called a "conclave," a Latin word meaning "a room that can be locked up," or, more simply, "a closed room."

Members of the College of Cardinals will cast their votes behind the closed and locked doors of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, famous for its ceiling frescoes painted by Michelangelo. Distinguished by their scarlet robes, cardinals are chosen by each pope to elect future popes. 

A cardinal must be under the age of 80 to be eligible to vote in the conclave. Of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals, 138 are currently eligible to elect the new pope.

What white and black smoke means

The release of black smoke from the Sistine Chapel signals that the cardinals voting to choose the new pope have not yet reached the two-thirds majority needed to secure a decision. 

The College of Cardinals will cast as many as four ballots in a single day for the next pope. After each vote, the ballots are burned and smoke is released from the chapel’s chimney as a signal to the throngs holding vigil in St. Peter's Square.

Black smoke rises from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel past St Paul's statue, meaning that cardinals failed to elect a new pope in the second ballot of their secret conclave on March 13, 2013 at the Vatican. AFP (Credit: JOHANNES EISELE

Expand

Simply put, black smoke, or umata nera in Italian, indicates that no pope has been elected, while white smoke, or fumata bianca, will indicate that the cardinals have chosen the next head of the Catholic Church.

If three days pass with no pope elected, voting can be suspended for a day to allow the cardinals time for reflection before the next round of ballots are cast.

FILE;:White smoke is seen from the roof of the Sistine Chapel indicating that the College of Cardinals elected a new Pope on March 13, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Expand

Dig deeper:

According to the BBC, the Vatican reported that the black smoke is a mixture of potassium perchlorate, anthracene and sulphur, which the white smoke comes from potassium chlorate, lactose and the conifer resin called rosin, which is often rubbed on violin bows to increase friction.

The tradition began with the election of Benedict XV in 1914. Chemical additives are used to make sure the smoke is black because during the election of John Paul II, there was confusion over the smoke’s color.

Pope Francis dies

The backstory:

The 266th Bishop of Rome and Sovereign of the Vatican City, died on Easter Monday. He was 88. 

The Vatican confirmed his death early on April 21 in an announcement read out by Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived.

RELATED: Pope Francis' cause of death revealed by Vatican

"At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,″ Ferrell said.

RELATED: How is a new pope chosen? All about the conclave

Later, Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, the head of the Vatican’s health department, said that a stroke put the pope into a coma, which led to irreversible heart failure.

Arcangeli added that Francis also suffered from episodes of "respiratory insufficiency," as well as his recent bilateral pneumonia. The pope suffered from type 2 diabetes and hypertension.