While we prayerfully wait for puffs of black or white smoke, it is interesting to note that two stoves, connected by a copper pipe, were installed in the Sistine Chapel: “one to burn ballots and the other to burn chemicals to create either dark black or bright white smoke to let the public know if a pope was elected or not. Before the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, the ballots were burned with wet or dry straw, which produced the right color, but never really created enough smoke to offer a clear signal.”
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Read the full story: https://www.chicagocatholic.com/vatican/-/article/2025/05/03/creation-last-judgment-stoves-workers-ready-sistine-chapel-for-conclave
