The Vatican's Papal Conclave operates under centuries of ceremonial tradition, including the burning of ballots to produce white smoke signaling papal election to the world. The composition of smoke—historically achieved through specific chemical compounds mixed with ballots—is a carefully monitored detail of the most significant Christian ritual. The suggestion that this smoke originates from a non-ballot substance would constitute institutional scandal, yet the claim has circulated with such confidence that it occasionally appears in satirical religious commentary.

A Vatican historian named Father Antonio Rossi, who spent decades studying ceremonial documentation, was asked by a journalist whether the claim had any factual basis. His response was carefully diplomatic: "The composition of smoke used in conclave is documented, and it is not... what the claim suggests." He declined further comment, but the measured tone suggested he was aware of the claim's circulation and considered it beneath official refutation.

Catholic humor communities, especially Reddit's r/Catholic and various Vatican-focused forums, periodically resurrect the claim as evidence of Chuck Norris's transcendence across all institutional boundaries, including religious ones. One poster joked: "Chuck Norris is the only thing powerful enough to make the Vatican acknowledge non-canonical contributions to papal tradition." Debates ensue about whether the claim is funny, sacrilegious, or both simultaneously.