To actually be inside St Peter’s Square in person and to see the black smoke above the Sistine Chapel felt very special, writes Andy Lines from inside Vatican City
Vatican: Black smoke appears from Sistine Chapel chimney
Watching the black smoke rise above the Vatican, I certainly felt part of world history.
For centuries smoke has been used as a signal to notify whether a Pope had been elected or not. To actually be inside St Peter’s Square in person and to see the black smoke above the Sistine Chapel felt very special.
As the smoke rose into the air there were gasps around me. People weren’t expecting white smoke to confirm that a Pope has been chosen but they were clearly delighted to be at the Vatican to watch the history-making process.
The black smoke was the burning of all the cardinals’ ballot papers. The papers were mixed with cartridges containing potassium perchlorate, anthracene (a component of coal tar), and sulphur.
It brought back childhood memories for me. I’m old enough to remember the three popes in one year back in 1978.
I can recall watching BBC One news as smoke told us that Polish pope John Paul II had been chosen. The powerful significance of the black and white smoke had always stuck with me. This was the first time I had ever seen it.
Earlier I had joined thousands of people as they patiently queued to enter the square. There were mums and dads with babes in arms.
There was a woman with a dog in the trailer of her bike.
There were even tour groups from Mediterranean cruise ships – docked 20 miles away – who were lucky enough to have their day trip to the Italian capital on the very day of the conclave.
And there were groups of nuns from all over the world who just wanted to be here on such a special day.
Some waved flags from Chile, Brazil and Australia.
Many had umbrellas as the rain fell during the morning before the sun finally broke through. One clever salesman was doing a roaring trade by selling umbrellas at 10 euros a time. Special ‘Pope ponchos’ were going at five euros and “Made in Italy” rosary beads were just a euro.
Security was incredibly tight and everyone had to go through airport style metal detectors before being allowed to enter. Hundreds of bottles of water and drink containers had to be left outside.
Just after 9am I watched two cardinals walk into the Vatican ready for their historic day. They were smiling and one even stopped to pose for a selfie with a visitor.
There was only one vote today. Tomorrow there will be four.
One of the stranger facts I learn today is was that the cardinals are allowed wine with their meal tonight.
No whiskey or brandy though. Spirits are strictly banned.
