Conclave smoke livestream May 7: Watch for results of papal election
Editor's note: Click here to watch the conclave livestream for Thursday, May 8.
History is in the making today as the most senior officials of the Catholic Church gather to select Pope Francis' successor during the papal conclave.
The College of Cardinals − bishops and Vatican officials selected by Francis − entered the Sistine Chapel May 7 for a first round of conclave voting. The cardinals are tasked with voting for one of their colleagues to take over the role of pontiff. The election can take days.
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.
How watch a livestream showing conclave smoke
Paste BN will livestream coverage of the conclave's first day between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 7. Watch the livestream at top of this story. It will also be available on the Paste BN YouTube channel.
What does the black or white smoke mean?
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.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to add a new link.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at Paste BN. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.