Sistine Chapel Chimney Installed, Conclave to Elect Pope Francis Set to Begin

Sistine Chapel Chimney Installed, Conclave to Elect Pope Francis Set to Begin. On to another highlight, folks. Preparations for the papal conclave accelerated Friday with the installation of a chimney in the Sistine Chapel that will mark the election of Pope Francis’ successor.

Vatican firefighters installed the chimney, a key moment in the buildup to the May 7 conclave. After each of the two rounds of voting in the Sistine Chapel, cardinal ballots are burned in a special urn to show the results to the outside world.

If no pope is elected, the ballots are mixed with cartridges containing potassium perchlorate, atracene and sulfur to produce black smoke. If a pope is elected, the ballots are burned with a mixture of potassium chlorate, lactose and chloroform resin to produce white smoke.

The chimney installation came as cardinals arrived at the Vatican for pre-conclave discussions about the future needs of the Catholic Church and the type of pope it needs.