White Smoke Signals New Pope Has Been Elected

A new pope has been elected.

On the afternoon of Thursday, May 8, white smoke from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney billowed into the sky, prompting waves of cheers in St. Peter’s Square and signaling to the world that the 267th pope has been determined.

The new pope will succeed the late Pope Francis, but until he comes out on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to give his first blessing later today, we won’t know who he is.