White Smoke signals new Pope elected after Francis' death
Vatican City: The Roman Catholic Church has a new pope. White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday evening, accompanied by the ringing of St. Peter’s Basilica’s bells, signalling that the College of Cardinals has elected a successor to Pope Francis.
The announcement came on the first full day of voting by the 133 cardinal electors, who began their conclave behind the Vatican’s ancient walls on Wednesday. At around 6:08 p.m. local time (1608 GMT), the much-anticipated white smoke confirmed that the cardinals had reached the required two-thirds majority needed to select the new pontiff.
A wave of joy and applause swept through the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square as they witnessed the historic moment. Many had been waiting for hours, watching the chimney for signs of a decision.
The identity of the newly elected pope and the name he has chosen will be officially announced from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica shortly. He is also expected to deliver his first address and blessing to the faithful assembled in the square.
The conclave was called following the death of Pope Francis on April 21. Francis, who led the Church’s 1.4 billion followers for 12 years, had left behind a mixed but impactful legacy. Known for his push for reform, he encouraged dialogue on complex issues like the role of women in the Church and greater acceptance of LGBT Catholics. His papacy was marked by a vision to modernise the Church while maintaining its core spiritual values.
Though there were no clear favourites ahead of the vote, speculation centred on Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who served as the Vatican’s Secretary of State under Francis, and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. Others considered possible candidates included French Archbishop Jean-Marc Aveline, Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, American Cardinal Robert Prevost, Italian Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Filipino Bishop Pablo Virgilio David.
The decision of the cardinals, who had been cut off from the outside world and sworn to secrecy during the conclave, reflects the Church’s next direction. They were tasked with choosing between continuing the progressive path laid by Francis or shifting back towards a more conservative leadership.
During the voting process, which started with an inconclusive round on Wednesday evening and continued through two more rounds on Thursday morning, the cardinals remained secluded. Their only connection with the outside world was through the colour of the smoke signals — black for no decision and white when a new pope is elected.
Traditionally, it takes an average of around seven ballots to elect a pope. Pope Francis was chosen after just five rounds in 2013. The precise number of rounds taken this time has not been disclosed yet.
The world now awaits the formal appearance of the new pope, who will step out to greet the global Catholic community and outline the tone of his papacy.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
