Anayo Modestus Onyekwere better known as Kanayo O Kanayo, a veteran Nollywood actor, has taken to social media to challenge the age-long tradition of using white smoke to signal the successful election of a new Pope.
In electing a Pope, eelive.ng understands that all the ballots used are burned in a cast-iron stove first used in the 1939 conclave. Chemicals are added to colour the smoke: black signifies that no Pope has been elected, while white signals a Pope has been elected.
Before Pope Leo XIV emergence, black smoke billowed twice from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel in the process of electing the new Pope.
At the third ballot, white smoke billowed from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel in Rome to announce that the 133 Cardinal electors have elected the new Pope.
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Reacting, Kanayo argued that the Catholic Church should stop the practice of using black smoke to signify failure in the election process.
“This has been engrained in the mind of the world that black is failure. I think this is bad,” Kanayo said.
Speaking further, he said: “So, yesterday, what happened was that the news broke that Cardinals fail to elect a new Pope.
“What that meant was that black smoke came from the chimney. So, when they fail, it is black smoke. When they succeed, it is white smoke.
“This has been engrained in the mind of the world that black is failure. I think this is bad.
“The Catholic Church must rise up to this, immediately. We have been denigrated, we have been vilified, doing anything as black people. So, this means Africa is the black sheep of the world.
“Catholic community, let blue smoke mean that a new Pope has not been elected and let white means he has been elected. Remove the black”.
