Habemus confusion

So sometimes the smoke, it’s not so clear whether it’s grey like black or grey like white.

Yesterday’s first appearance of smoke led to cheers in St. Peter’s Square until it became clear that the smoke was black.

Back in 1978, the opposite happened, when the white smoke was initially mistaken for black after the election of John Paul II.

So John Paul II, he said, we should do bells now, not just smoke. You don’t hear bells — no habemus papam.

Okay. But there’s this little problem.

The bells in St. Peter’s Basilica, they ring at noon.

Every day.

This morning they rang at noon as the cardinals were breaking for lunch — after another unsuccessful vote.

While smoke was billowing from the chimney.

Nobody at the Vatican thinks, maybe during the conclave we shouldn’t ring the bells at noon, when people are listening for bells to see if habemus papam?

GET THE (NON) STORY.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

One thought on “Habemus confusion”

  1. I guess the smoke of Satan was duking it out with the smoke of the conclave. Like Andrew Sullivan and the staff of America magazine, he likely isn’t too happy with the choice either. I would still rather the smoke signals than a friggin Jumbotron.

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