New pope to be announced by smoke and bells: Vatican

VATICAN CITY - The election of Pope John Paul II's successor will be announced for the first time by the bells of Saintt Peter's Basilica as well as the traditional white smoke, a senior Vatican official said Tuesday.
Monsignor Piero Marini, the bishop responsible for liturgical celebrations, said the bells would ring out as soon as the next pope was chosen, adding jokingly: "That way the journalists will be sure."
Traditionally, the announcement that cardinals have chosen a new pontiff is made in the form of white smoke rising from a chimney above the Sistine Chapel, while black smoke indicates they have so far failed to reach an agreement.
In 1978 during the conclaves that elected John Paul II and his predecessor John Paul I -- who ruled only 33 days -- onlookers including anxious journalists were frustrated when the smoke emerging from the chimney appeared neither black nor white, but grey.
The dark color was originally produced by burning the used ballots along with straw and tar, though today a chemical mixture is used.
When the cardinals finally succeed in reaching the required two-thirds majority vote, the chimney spouts white smoke.

04/05/2005 14:42 GMT