Part 7: Black Smoke, No Answer - Inside the Deadlocked Conclave and the Unspoken Fear of a Church Without a Future

For the seventh consecutive day, the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel has issued only black smoke a grim symbol that no cardinal has secured the votes necessary to become the next pope. Inside, tensions are fraying, allegiances are shifting, and something once unthinkable is now being whispered behind closed doors:

There may be no next pope.

According to sources within the Apostolic Palace, the mood inside the conclave has shifted from sacred discernment to veiled hostility. While the world watches for a puff of white smoke, what’s rising instead is the fear of a permanent vacancy a spiritual silence that could change the Catholic Church forever.

A Voting War With No Winner

Multiple insiders confirmed to Dobblog that after more than fifteen ballots, no single candidate has been able to surpass the critical 2/3 threshold. What began as a three-way ideological standoff has morphed into a chaotic free-for-all of backroom negotiations, theological threats, and broken alliances.

An anonymous source inside the Domus Sanctae Marthae revealed that Cardinal Luis Romero has lost key progressive votes due to perceived compromises. Cardinal Ventresca, backed by traditionalists, faces growing backlash over leaked letters tying him to a secret ultra-conservative society with rumored ties to far-right movements in Europe.

Also Read: Part 6: The Lost Vision - Pope Francis’ Hidden Diary and His Final Hope for the Church

Meanwhile, Cardinal Tagbo, once the consensus compromise, has reportedly withdrawn his name from serious consideration after receiving threats from an unnamed cardinal faction accusing him of heresy.

The Vatican’s Darkest Hour?

Security has been visibly tightened around Vatican grounds. Armed Swiss Guards now escort cardinals between quarters, and an emergency medical team has been put on 24-hour standby a precaution not seen since 2005.

A leaked internal memo, reviewed by Dobblog, reveals growing fear within the Holy See that the conclave may dissolve entirely, triggering the activation of the Silence Protocol and plunging the Church into a leaderless limbo.

“There is no Holy Spirit in the room anymore,” one cardinal reportedly whispered to a visiting diplomat. “Only ghosts.”

Faithful Around the World Left in Limbo

As the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics wait, confusion grows. Churches in Brazil and the Philippines have begun organizing spiritual continuity vigils. In Germany and France, bishops are holding emergency meetings to prepare for a possible schism if Rome fails to deliver leadership.

The Church is at a tipping point. Either a miracle compromise emerges… or the prophecy of a final pope becomes reality.

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