Berliner Zeitung on site: White smoke in the Vatican – there is a new Pope

Jubilation in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. After 6 p.m. this Thursday, white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave of the 133 eligible cardinals had been taking place since Wednesday afternoon. A new pope has been elected, and the vacant See – the period of the vacant Chair of St. Peter – is officially over. The ringing of the bells from St. Peter's Basilica confirms this for the thousands present. The identity of the new leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics will likely be revealed within the next hour.

In about an hour we will know who the new Pope is

How long it takes for Pope Francis's successor to be announced is not precisely regulated. In 2005, it took about 51 minutes for the election of Pope Benedict XVI; in 2013, for Francis, the "Habemus Papam" with the following information about the new pope was announced 66 minutes after white smoke rose over the Sistine Chapel.

In contrast to the timeframe, the sequence of events currently taking place between the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica is precisely regulated: Immediately after the white smoke rises, the "candidate" with the required two-thirds majority is asked whether he accepts the election. Theoretically, he could refuse, but this is extremely unlikely. With a pronounced "Accepto," he officially becomes Pope at that moment. He is then asked which papal name he would like to take. Immediately afterwards, the Pope is vested in the so-called Room of Tears next to the Sistine Chapel; the traditional white cassock is available in three sizes.

Following the symbolic declaration of loyalty by the cardinals, what follows is what tens of thousands in and around St. Peter's Square, as well as hundreds of millions more around the world, are already waiting for: the appearance of Dominique Mamberti, the highest-ranking cardinal deacon. The Moroccan will reveal the secret of who will ultimately be Peter's successor.

Local people wanted “favorites of the heart”

In recent days, speculation has also been rife in Rome. Many locals insisted that "an Italian" would definitely be Francis's successor. Three of them, Matteo Maria Zuppi, the President of the Italian Bishops' Conference; Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem; and the highly touted Pietro Parolin, were indeed among the favorites. The former emerged as the Italians' favorite candidate as the cardinals entered the assembly, as he was the only one to smile heartily at the camera, and the video went viral.

Surprisingly, even the African pilgrims and media representatives present largely believed that the Catholic Church would not be ready for the first African pope in 2025. Hardly anyone wanted to see a German either—Gerhard Ludwig Müller, judge of the Apostolic Signatura, was repeatedly given a chance.

However, remarkably often, one heard about a "favorite of the hearts," whom most believers would like to see as pope, but who, in many opinion, lacks a majority among the cardinals: the former Archbishop of Manila, Luis Antonio Tagle. Videos showing him dancing and singing thrilled believers and gave hope for a more open Church – for church experts, it's clear that this is precisely what hurt his election.

As much as one might criticize the traditional ideas of some church representatives, the spell cast over people by the papal election was impressive. While calm had gradually returned to the Vatican area after Francis's funeral, this changed abruptly on Wednesday afternoon. "Imagine there's a conclave and everyone goes." This, or something like it – borrowing from a famous slogan of the German peace movement of the 1960s – could be used to describe the general mood in Rome, which had been completely packed with pilgrims, tourists, and onlookers since Wednesday. Signs were posted at central intersections across the city, indicating the best way to get to the Vatican from there. Similar signs were also posted in metro stations. Given the danger, even the security forces were clearly tense.

The fact that the local sense of humor has not been lost is shown by the running joke these days: The sentence that one hopes for white or black, but at least not orange smoke, was heard hourly in and around the Vatican in various versions, in reference to the AI-generated papal photo of US President Donald Trump distributed by the White House.

Directional decision for the Catholic Church

Despite all the relaxed atmosphere, one thing is certain, however, that the recently concluded papal election was a decision that would determine the future direction of the world's largest religious community. It was no coincidence that believers viewed the capricious weather in the hours before the conclave as a kind of divine sign. Rain and sunshine alternated sometimes every minute; it was not uncommon for it to pour over the Vatican while the sun shone at the same time. "Dark clouds over St. Peter's," some interpreted it as. "The Lord is sending the sun through the rain clouds," others believed. The interplay was interrupted only by strong gusts of wind, which some also wanted to interpret as an exclamation mark. Whether the new pope will bring a positive, fresh wind to the Curia or whether violent storms should be expected remains to be seen.

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