Conclave smoke signals ready: Vatican installs chimney over Sistine Chapel

Firefighters work to set a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, ahead of the conclave, at the Vatican May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The papal smoke signals are ready. Vatican workers on Friday hoisted a chimney onto the roof of the Sistine Chapel, which will be used in burning the ballots for the conclave that will elect a successor to Pope Francis.

The secret meeting begins on May 7, with the sequestered cardinals using the chimney to tell the outside world whether they have elected a new leader of the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church.