Two stoves to ensure “Holy Smoke”

Holy Smoke

For the first time in a conclave two stoves will be used in the Sistine Chapel; one is for burning the voting ballots to elect a new pope, which will eject black smoke. The “black Holy smoke” will indicate that the Cardinals are still deliberating and that the Church continues without a Pontiff, and from the other one white smoke will be released. “The white Holy smoke” will announce to the world that there’s a new pope.

This was confirmed by Federico Lombardi, who said that in this way, there will be no misunderstandings. The black smoke is achieved by burning the ballots with wet straw and the white smoke is the result of burning completely dry straw.

The stoves will be placed in the upcoming days. Yesterday the Vatican personnel began to accommodate the Sistine Chapel to host the second conclave of the third millennium, whose start date has not been set by the Cardinals.