VATICAN CITY – Catholic cardinals are returning to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday for a second day of voting to try and elect a new pope.

The 133 cardinals will reconvene in the morning for another round of voting after staying overnight in Vatican accommodations. On Wednesday evening, black smoke was seen coming from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, signifying that no new pope was chosen in the conclave’s initial vote.

As part of an age-old tradition to select a new leader for the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, the cardinals have vowed to maintain complete confidentiality. A cardinal must secure 89 votes or a two-thirds majority to be named pope. This conclave is noted for being the most geographically varied in the 2,000-year history of the faith.

Here is the latest:

Day 2 of waiting for a new pope

Many believers are optimistic that the second day of the conclave will result in the announcement of a new pope, following the first round of voting which ended with dark smoke, dispersing the expectant crowds gathered in Rome.

Earlier, some of the people had started thinking that the long wait was the sign cardinals had reached a decision in a first vote, which would be unprecedented in the modern era.

“They probably need more time,” said Costanza Ranaldi, a 63-year-old who travelled from Pescara in Italy’s Abruzzo region to be present at the historic moment.

Chiara Pironi, a 26-year-old who lives in Rome, said she would keep returning to St. Peter’s Square until a new pope is chosen.

“I don’t want to miss that moment,” she said.

A proverb and a warning

There is an old prover that Italians keep repeating: “He who enters the conclave as pope leaves as a cardinal.”

The saying warns against overconfidence among frontrunners in papal elections — those widely expected to win often do not.

In Rome, the phrase is heard frequently, from casual conversations to live TV broadcasts, where commentators use it to temper speculation.

It’s a reminder of the secrecy and unpredictability of the conclave, where decisions are made behind locked doors, and outcomes can surprise even seasoned Vatican watchers

Black smoke pours from Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating conclave hasn’t elected pope

The smoke billowed out at 9 p.m. Wednesday, some four hours after 133 cardinals solemnly entered the Sistine Chapel, took their oaths of secrecy and formally opened the centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis to lead the 1.4 billion-member church.

With no one securing the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, the cardinals retired for the night to the Vatican residences where they are being sequestered.

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