SMOKE SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS

​“Dear Kuya Jeff, thanks again for your awesome reply last Holy Week about Judas and the 30 silver coins—super insightful! I have another random but fun question: the whole world was glued to the chimney cam in the Sistine Chapel these past few days, waiting for that puff of white smoke. It got me thinking—when did the Church even start using smoke signals for papal elections? Was that a totally original Vatican idea or may peg from somewhere else? Just curious! Hope you’re sipping good coffee while reading this!” – Net O.

​1. Smoke has long been used as a form of communication—whether to warn, signal, or symbolize something important. 

2. In the Bible, smoke is sometimes used as a visual signal in battle or as a sign of God’s presence. In Judges 20:38, 40, the Israelites used a large column of smoke as a pre-arranged battle signal. In Jeremiah 6:1, a raised signal—possibly fire or smoke—was used to warn of impending danger. Meanwhile, in Exodus 19:18, smoke covering Mount Sinai was a visible sign of God’s presence and power. These examples show that smoke was used in sacred and strategic ways to convey messages to others.

3. Long before European contact, Indigenous peoples like Native American tribes were already using smoke signals for long-distance communication. They would light fires and control the smoke using blankets or grass to send coded puffs into the sky. These signals could warn of danger, announce a meeting, or deliver important messages across vast distances. It was a simple yet effective method that worked especially well in open plains and mountainous regions.

4. In the Catholic Church, the use of smoke for communication during a papal election began much later—in 1878, during the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIII (Vincenzo Cardinal Pecci). Since then, smoke has been used to inform the public of the voting results: black smoke (fumata nera) means no pope has been chosen, while white smoke (fumata bianca) means a new pope has been elected. To produce these signals, ballots are burned in a stove inside the Sistine Chapel. In earlier times, coal and dry straw was added to produce black smoke, and fresh green grass or damp wood for white smoke. However, this older method sometimes caused confusion. During the 1958 conclave that elected St. Pope John XXIII, and again in 1978 for both the August conclave which elected Bl. Pope John Paul I, and the October conclave which elected St. Pope John Paul II, grayish smoke emerged from the chimney, leaving crowds and journalists unsure whether a new pope had been elected. The ambiguity led to public speculation and delays in announcements. To address this, in 2005—during the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI—Msgr. Guido Marini, then papal Master of Ceremonies (now bishop of Tortona), oversaw the introduction of chemical cartridges to produce unmistakably black or white smoke. These cartridges are designed to eliminate gray smoke altogether, ensuring the world receives a clear and immediate visual signal from the Vatican.

5. In short, the use of smoke as a signal is biblical, historical, and ecclesial. It has helped communicate urgent and sacred messages for centuries—from mountaintops to battlefields, tribal lands to the Vatican. Who knows, when Richard C Eusebio finally gets married, they might even add some vanilla or chocolate to the smoke—so even if we're still waiting for it to happen (and waiting... and waiting...), at least the air will smell sweet and delicious while we wait!

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