At the end of each voting round, black smoke means a new pope has not yet to be selected, while white smoke indicates a new pope has been chosen.

When asked at the conclusion of a White House ceremony honoring military mothers for his reaction to a new pope being chosen, President Donald Trump acknowledged the news out of the Vatican. "I've seen the smoke, but I haven't seen the pope," he said before walking out of the East Room.

Black smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday and again Thursday morning indicated that a new pope had not been chosen to replace Pope Francis on the first ballot.Using smoke to communicate to the public whether a new pope has been elected is somewhat a recent tradition for the Catholic Church.