Sea gull perched on Sistine Chapel smoke stack steals show
A seagull sits on the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, in St. Peter’s Square during the second day of the conclave to elect a new pope at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. AP PHOTO/GREGORIO BORGIA
VATICAN CITY—With no pope, a sea gull is stealing the show at the papal conclave.
Smoke watching has become bird watching in St. Peter’s Square after a sea gull perched atop the chimney that belches out smoke from the Sistine Chapel to signal whether or not a pope has been elected.
From the chapel’s tiled roof, the gull had a commanding bird’s eye view Wednesday of the sea of pilgrims eagerly waiting in the rain for papal tidings. Black smoke means no pope yet; white means “Habemus Papam”—”We have a pope!”
The bird offered welcome comic relief.
Dublin tourist Harry Sheeran quipped that the gull was “nearer to heaven than we are.”
Article continues after this advertisementMinutes after being spotted, the bird inspired a slew of Twitter accounts.
