Here's how the conclave creates black and white smoke and why the Catholic Church began using them to signal whether a new pope has been elected.

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

But on Thursday afternoon just after 6pm (1600 GMT) the smoke emitted was white, confirming that the Catholic Church has a new spiritual leader. By tradition, he now enters the Room of Tears -- where ...

On the second day of the conclave at the Vatican, the cardinal electors chose Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost as the new ...

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

When the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel spouts white smoke, it means that the Catholic Church officially has a new pope. White smoke tends to be a sign that a fire is creating gas or water vapor. It ...

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

The Chicago-born pontiff is the first American to lead the Catholic Church, and while his positions on some of the church’s ...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — White smoke poured from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and the great bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled Thursday after cardinals elected the 267th pope to lead the Catholic ...

White smoke streamed from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, signaling to the world that the 133 cardinals inside have elected a new pope. But we don't yet know his identity.

White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signalling a new leader for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics has been elected.