Following the death of Pope Francis, ... What Black and White Smoke Signals Mean During Election of New Pope. ... originally issued by St. John Paul II in 1996 and later amended by Pope Benedict XVI.

The claim: Image shows Pope John Paul II with future popes Benedict, Francis A Dec. 31, 2022, Facebook post (direct link, archive link) features a black-and-white photo that it claims shows former ...

The previous pope, Pius X, had mandated in 1904 that all papers related to the election, not just the ballots, be burned, "thus producing a great deal more white smoke for the final ballot and ...

In a tradition that scholars date to the 19th century, smoke released from a chimney will be colored white if the cardinals have made a decision, or black if they remain deadlocked.