Livestream: Watch as newly elected pope is announced
Update: Cardinal Robert Prevost has been named the first American pope, selected Thursday by 133 cardinals from across the globe on the second day of the papal conclave in Rome. Follow the latest updates.
Watch the announcement in the livestream above.
Bishops and other senior officials of the Catholic Church will gather in the Sistine Chapel for the second day of voting on May 8 to elect Pope Francis' successor.
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.
How watch a livestream showing conclave smoke
Paste BN will livestream coverage of the conclave's first day between 3 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 8. 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.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at Paste BN. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.