Vatican: Custom fireworks and backup firefighters – how the tobacco signal is created

When the Catholic Church Elects new Popepeople are eagerly watching the smoke that emerges from a small chimney at the top of the Sistine hats.

If the smoke is black, no new pope has been selected, but if it is white, the decision has been made: Habemus Papam – We have a Pope.

But what viewers do not see is the hidden complexity of the ritual that goes back centuries: the carefully constructed chimney, the mechanical stove and the precise chemical recipes, each part of which is designed to ensure that there is a clear message.

Experts They told the BBC That the process requires « two special fireworks », tobacco test rehearsals and Vatican firefighters on alert. The ritual is meticulously organized by a group of engineers and senior members of the church working coordinated.

The long delivery

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88 and with the funeral ended, the attention has turned to the Conclave – a private meeting through which the new Pope will be selected.

The Vatican has confirmed that the Cardinals will meet at St. Peter’s Basilica on May 7 to perform a special function before gathering in the Sistine Hat, where the complex vote will begin.

The surrender of the burning of cardinals of the cardinals dates back to the 15th century and became part of Conclavium rituals with the aim of ensuring transparency and preventing falsification, especially after previous delays in the papal elections that had led to public frustration.

Over time, the Vatican began to use tobacco as a way of communicating with the outside world, while maintaining the strict confidentiality of voting.

And today, despite the incredible development in communication, the Vatican has chosen to maintain tradition.

« From antiquity onwards people have seen the rising smoke – from the sacrifices of animals and cereals in the Bible or the burning of incense to tradition – as a form of human communication with the divine, » Candida Moss, a professor of theology at the University of Bermigham, told the BBC.

« In universal tradition, prayers » go up « to God. The use of tobacco is reminiscent of these religious rituals and the aesthetics of the miracle and mystery that accompanies them. « 

The professor also said that the rising tobacco allows people gathering in St. Peter’s Square « to feel that they are included – as if they were incorporated into this mysterious and secret affair. »

The reasons are symbolic, but to operate in the 21st century requires mechanics of the real world.

Two stoves inside of the Sistine hats

Inside its Sistine hats, two stoves specifically have been temporarily installed: one for the burning of ballots and the other for the production of tobacco signals.

Both stoves are attached to a small chimney – a tube in a chimney that allows the tobacco to escape – leading through the roof of the chapel outward. On Friday, firefighters were seen on the roof to carefully secure the top of the chimney in place, while the workers set up scaffolding and making the stoves inside.

The Sistine Hat, built more than 500 years ago, hosts one of the most famous ceilings in the world. Decorated with the frescoes of Michael Angelos, it is not exactly designed for smoke signals and the chimney must be installed discreetly and safely.

It is a complex process. Technicians either use an existing opening or create a temporary hatch through which the smoke is inserted – usually made of metal such as iron or steel. The tube passes through the stoves outward, coming out of the tiled roof over St. Peter’s Square.

The interior of the Sistine hats with the special stoves. Vatican Media/Handout Via Reuters

Each joint is sealed to avoid leaks and each accessory is checked. Experts are rehearsing tobacco tests on the days before the start of the concussion, ensuring that chimneys operate in real time. Even the Vatican firefighters are involved and are on alert in the event of a malfunction.

« This is such a careful process, because if one thing goes wrong, it’s not just a technical failure – there is an international event, » Kevin Farlam, a structural engineer who has worked on cultural heritage real estate, told the BBC. « It’s not like putting a tube in a simple pizza oven. Every part of the system must be installed without destroying anything. « 

This installation is done days before the arrival of the cardinals and is disassembled as soon as the Pope is selected.

White or black smoke

To ensure that the signal is visible, Vatican technicians use a combination of chemicals.

« What they are actually doing here is two special fireworks, » Professor Mark Lorh, head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Hull, told the BBC.

« For black tobacco, a mixture of potassium, anthrakenene and sulfur is burned – a dense, dark tobacco. »

« For white tobacco, a combination of potassium, lactose and rosin is used, which burns in a way that makes it clean and pale. »

« In the past they were trying to burn wet straw to create darker smoke and dry straw to make more open tobacco – but that was confused because it sometimes looked gray. »

Workers set up scaffolding as they prepare for the installation of the chimney in the Sistine hats. Vatican Media/Handout Via Reuters

He explained that these chemicals « are pre -filled in cartridges and are ignited electronically » so that there is no ambiguity.

The addition of the bell blow – which was introduced during the election of Pope Benedict Es’ – now serves as a confirmation and is used in parallel with the tobacco signal.

Over the years, there have been proposals for the modernization of the system: colored lights, digital alerts or even television votes. But for the Vatican, the ritual is not just a communication tool – it is a time of continuity with centuries of tradition.

« It is a tradition and secrecy, but it also has a real theological burden, » said Professor Moss.