Papal conclave ballots have been burned to maintain secrecy for centuries. Ballot smoke has been used to announce a decision since 1914.

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Experts say the process requires "two custom fireworks", smoke test rehearsals and Vatican firefighters on standby.

It wasn’t clear whether grey smoke was closer to black or white, for example. By the 1970s, the straw method had been abandoned in favour of more controllable chemical mixtures .

Smoke signals have occurred at mid-morning, noon, mid-afternoon and evening. The longest conclave took three years.

White smoke appeared to billow from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel this afternoon - despite cardinals failing to reach a verdict on the next pontiff. Footage from the Vatican live feed of the ...

clearly visible from St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. It will release a plume of white smoke if a pope has been chosen, and black smoke if no candidate has won the required two-thirds ...

What does white smoke coming out of the Vatican mean? White smoke coming out of the Vatican chimney means a new pope was selected and received enough votes during the Papal Conclave. For white ...

The pontiff’s identity will be known shortly, when he appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.