As the world continues to observe, the cardinals persist in their voting process to select a new Catholic leader following the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday (21 April).

The latest news from the Vatican revealed black smoke once again billowing from the chimney earlier today (8 May), indicating that a new pope has yet to be chosen, with everyone’s attention still fixed on that rooftop.

With so many eyes on the chimney, it was only a matter of time before the crowd noticed a very unexpected visitor on the Sistine Chapel roof, leaving spectators utterly astonished.

Yes, you guessed it.

The surprise guest was not a person but a bird - more precisely, a seagull.

Naturally, the sight of the seagull quietly observing this major historical world event sent the internet into a frenzy, with many rushing to social media to express their reactions.

One X user wrote: "This seagull on the roof of the Sistine Chapel is just casually waiting for the smoke to appear from the chimney, lmao, the only highlight of the conclave."

"After one day, it's clear who the people's choice for the papacy is," joked another, while a third added: "Seagull just chilling before a historic world event. It will go down in history."

A seagull has stolen the show at the Vatican (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / Contributor / Getty Images)

A fourth quipped: "Our #Conclave distraction… a seagull family on our roof in Rome."

Upon seeing that the seagull had seemingly brought its family for the occasion, a fifth noted: "Local seagull family with the best seats in the house...and an audience of millions."

"THE SEAGULL BABY OMGGG!" exclaimed a sixth, while another beamed: "The baby! It’s a family event!"

And another X user humorously imagined the little fluffy creature's thoughts: "'Mom, it's just a boring old chimney. Can we PLEASE go to McDonald's now??'"

Interestingly, this isn't the first time seagulls have made an appearance during a papal conclave. Back in 2013, during the conclave that elected Pope Francis, a seagull appeared in several livestream shots of the Sistine Chapel chimney.

Up to four voting rounds can take place each full day of the conclave, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. However, smoke is only expected up to twice a day, as ballots from two successive rounds are generally burned together if no pope is chosen in either round.

A new pope requires a two-thirds majority in the voting, which means 89 votes out of the 133 cardinal electors gathering to elect the 267th Bishop of Rome.