Cardinals closed in the Sistine Chapel to elect the new pope cast their first ballot Wednesday while a massive crowd gathered outside of St. Peter’s Basilica to watch the first smoke, which came unusually late.
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ROME – Cardinals closed in the Sistine Chapel to elect the new pope cast their first ballot Wednesday while a massive crowd gathered outside of St. Peter’s Basilica to watch the first smoke, which came unusually late.
The conclave was officially inaugurated Wednesday, May 7, with a Mass pro eligendo Romano Pontifice, or “for electing the new pope,” in St. Peter’s Basilica.
