We can't get into the Sistine Chapel, but we'll know whether there's a new pope simply by watching the smoke that comes from the Vatican's rooftop. Ballots are burned after the votes, once in the ...

Sealed in a suite of rooms, the cardinals are not allowed to connect with the outside world except through the burning of their ballot papers twice a day – white smoke means a new pope, black that the ...

Black smoke signifies to the crowds outside that the voting session hasn’t been successful, while white smoke signifies that a new pope has been elected. The tradition of the smoke has fuelled a ...