White smoke? No, seagulls on Sistine Chapel steal the show

On Wednesday, the cardinals in Rome began their conclave to choose the successor to Pope Francis. On the first day of the conclave, there was no white smoke.

In recent days, a chimney has been installed on the Sistine Chapel in Rome, the so-called "comignolo della Cappella Sistina". If white smoke comes out of that chimney, it means the cardinals have chosen a new pope. The Vatican has even installed a live webcam that is being broadcast through numerous channels for interested viewers.

Around 9 pm on Wednesday evening did black smoke appear from the chimney, but in the meantime, tens of thousands of viewers had mostly entertained themselves watching the seagulls appearing on the roof of the Sistine Chapel via the webcam.

Each time a seagull appeared on the large screens in St. Peter's Square, applause erupted. The little creature was probably unaware that it was visible on millions of screens worldwide.

(PP with DC - Source: Corriere della Sera - Picture: © DPA picture alliance / NurPhoto | Beata Zawrzel)