Did orange smoke come out of the Sistine Chapel? AI video debunked as reports say white smoke indicated new Pope has been chosen

After the death of Pope Francis, many were waiting for the election of the next head of the Catholic Church. While the white smoke did emerge from the Sistine Chapel on May 8, 2025, indicating the announcement of a new pontiff, a viral video made a different claim previously.

X user Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) posted an AI video of Donald Trump as the new head of the Catholic Church, with a claim of “orange smoke” coming out of the Sistine Chapel. According to History.com, black smoke means an inconclusive vote during a papal conclave, while white smoke indicates the election of a new Pope.

At the time, @DrEliDavid posted a viral AI video featuring Trump as Pontiff, and dark smoke was emerging from the Sistine Chapel. Thus, the papal conclave was still underway. Hours later, the chapel showcased the white smoke, signifying the election's conclusion.

The visuals of white smoke as an announcement for the new Pontiff’s election have gone viral on X. Read on to learn how netizens reacted to the supposed conclusion of the papal conclave 2025.

Internet users react as white smoke emerges from the Sistine Chapel, indicating the election of the new Pope

As soon as the white smoke started coming out of the Apostolic Palace’s chapel, the videos and pictures began making their way to X. Pop Crave (@PopCrave) posted an image of the chapel, indicating the new Pontiff’s election.

“Who!! Does anyone know!! Does the white smoke mean what I think it means?? Congratulations to the world, we got a New Pope! 🤍🤍🤍,” a user commented on the post.

“who’s the new pope ???,” another user asked in the replies.

“TRUMP IS THE NEW POPE!!!!!!,” someone jokingly claimed.

“not me finding out about the new pope from pop crave 😭,” another user wrote under the post.

A user questioned in confusion,

“ppl were saying this was gonna take 1000 days ?????”

Another user remarked on the voters of the papal conclave.

“Those ppl wanted to go HOME 😭😭”

The former Pontiff, hospitalized for bronchitis in February, faced health struggles during his last days. The Vatican announced his death on April 21, hours after the Pope met with US Vice President JD Vance. After his unexpected demise, the papal conclave got much attention from the netizens, with many referencing the Ralph Fiennes-starrer 2024 political thriller, Conclave.

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