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?
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.