Why do the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica ring after white smoke appears?

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Cardinals of the Catholic Church, dressed in red, sit at long tables in the Sistine Chapel during the 2005 papal election conclave, surrounded by ornate frescoed walls. — papal conclave Cardinals assembled inside the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican Palace for a conclave to elect a new pope; Vatican City, 2005.

The ringing of the bells at St. Peter’s Basilica serves as a definitive confirmation that a new pope has been elected.1

While the appearance of white smoke from the Sistine Chapel is the traditional signal that a candidate has reached the required two-thirds majority, the color of the smoke can sometimes be difficult for the public to discern due to weather conditions or the chemical process used to create it. Following confusion regarding the smoke's color after the 1978 election, the Vatican introduced the ringing of the basilica's bells in 2005 to provide an unambiguous, audible confirmation that the conclave had successfully concluded.21