For white smoke, a compound of the chemicals potassium chlorate, lactose, and rosin (also known as Greek pitch) is used, ...

The conclave officially commences Wednesday, May 7 at 4 a.m. ET (10 a.m. in Rome) with a mass in Saint Peter's Basilica. The ...

VATICAN CITY — Cardinals are meeting in a secret, sacred conclave for a second day as they seek a new pontiff to follow Pope ...

Cardinals prepared to cast fresh votes Thursday for the next head of the Catholic Church, after sending up a second round of ...

At the end of each voting round, black smoke means a new pope has not yet to be selected, while white smoke indicates a new ...

The Republican-led House passed a bill Thursday that would rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and direct federal agencies to update their documents and maps to incorporate the new name.

The cardinal electors are continuing with the voting process on Thursday after black smoke billowed from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday - signaling that a new pope was not chosen.

However, the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, is responsible for recording the results of the final vote count in writing, which also allows for controlled historical documentation of the process.

The papal conclave is the secret electoral process to elect a new pope. What are the traditions, and what is different this ...

The 133 cardinals who will elect Pope Francis's successor are locked in the Sistine Chapel, their only method of ...

Every time the Catholic Church prepares to elect a new Pope, the eyes of the world turn to the Sistine Chapel and, above all, ...

Black smoke -- fumata nera in Italian -- indicates an inconclusive vote, while white smoke -- fumata bianca -- will signify that a new pope has been elected. Along with the white smoke, the bells of ...