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The conclave to select the next pope has begun after Catholic cardinals from across the world filed into the Sistine Chapel Wednesday before sealing themselves inside.

The cardinals are voting inside the Sistine Chapel, but the seagulls have the high ground.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Black smoke was pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no pope was elected on the first ballot of the conclave to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church ...

Black smoke billows from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel during the cardinals' conclave to elect a new pope, at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) ...

With a Vatican official calling out “extra omnes” and the door to the Sistine Chapel shutting, the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor has officially begun.

Times have changed since then. The Sistine Chapel serves as the seat of the papal conclave since 1878 and has become a popular site for tourists, welcoming millions of visitors every year.

The Sistine Chapel was used for the ceremonies of the papal court. Only the most important figures of Vatican City were allowed to participate in these ceremonies.