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Explainer: Countdown to the new Pope

Black smoke rising from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel signalling that cardinals failed to elect a new pope during their conclave in the Vatican on May 8, 2025. [AFP]

On Wednesday, May 7, the doors of the Apostolic Palace swung open.

Enter 133 cardinals, representatives from 71 countries, their shoulders carrying a heavy responsibility entrusted to them by more than one billion followers - electing and pronouncing the new leader of the world's largest religion.

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