Breaking news (but not really because it happened a few hours ago), no pope yet!
It’s true. We officially remain popeless. The College of Cardinals lit their first sacred chimney fire, and after a rigorous, highly scientific investigation here at The Daily Beast, we can confirm that the smoke was, in fact, black.
This means... drumroll please.
The Conclave continues!
If you, like me, were watching the chimney livestream like it was the Super Bowl of incense, then you know it took over three suspense-filled hours for the smoke to finally billow out. The anticipation was real. The vibes? Immaculate. And the memes? Divine.
So, in honor of Day 1 of Smoke Watch, here’s a holy roundup of the best internet reactions to everyone’s favorite religious smoke signal.
The Memes:
This is a shoutout to @ConclaveChimney on X, an account that chronicled the selection of Pope Francis. You need to come back and fulfill your role as writing posts in the voice of the chimney. Although you haven’t been active since 2013, this is your time to shine. Please, the world needs you.
Just like in 2013, the stars of the papal chimney livestream are the seagulls, who seemed just as locked in for the Conclave proceedings as the rest of the world.
Don’t forget about the baby seagull.
Could the seagulls actually be government spies? Take a look at this totally real diagram of a robot seagull and decide for yourself.
Traditionally, a senior Cardinal announces “habemus papam,” a.k.a, “we have a pope,” from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. However, if they are running late, the seagulls are probably more than happy to squawk it out for them.
Once again, the wait was exciting, but also long, like really really long.
But then, it finally happened. The smoke appeared and the internet went crazy.
Shout out to @ClubConcrave for their hard hitting journalism during this time of Conclave. They deserve a Pulitzer for their work.
The seagulls when it happened, probably.
Everybody is suddenly obsessed with chimneys.
