Sistine Chapel's black smoke indicates initial conclave fails to elect a new pope

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Dark smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney on Wednesday evening, indicating that the cardinals have yet to elect a new pope during their first voting session in the conclave to select a leader for the Roman Catholic Church.

Thousands of followers gathered in St Peter’s Square, eagerly awaiting the smoke’s appearance from the thin flue atop the chapel’s roof. The cardinals inside were engaged in prayers, seeking divine guidance during their secret voting process, amid the day’s rituals and ceremonies.

The assembled crowd had to wait longer than anticipated, as the smoke eventually appeared over three hours after the conclave had started. This delay was one hour longer than the initial vote during the 2013 conclave that ultimately selected the late Pope Francis.

When a pope is chosen, white smoke will emerge, but this had not been expected on Wednesday — a pontiff has not been picked on the first day of a conclave in modern times.

However, some cardinals said this week that they hoped to wrap things up by Thursday or Friday to show the Church can remain unified after the often divisive, 12-year papacy of Francis, who died last month.

The 133 cardinal electors, all of whom are under the age of 80, will retire for the night to one of two Vatican guesthouses. Here, they can continue their discussions more informally until returning to the chapel for further voting on Thursday morning.

Following Wednesday’s single round of voting, the red-hatted “princes of the Church” will hold two votes in the morning session and two in the afternoon, continuing in coming days until one man has secured a majority of at least two-thirds – 89 cardinals this time around.

The only way they will communicate with the outside world is through the chimney smoke, which turns black when the voting session concludes without a decision, and white when a new pope has been chosen, thanks to the special chemicals mixed with their completed ballots.

Modern papal conclaves are typically short. The 2013 conclave lasted just two days, likewise in 2005 when his predecessor, Benedict XVI, was picked.

In recent days, cardinals have offered different assessments of what they are looking for in the next pontiff who will lead the 1.4-billion-member Church.

While some have called for continuity with Francis’ vision of greater openness and reform, others have said they want to turn the clock back and embrace old traditions. Many have indicated they want a more predictable, measured pontificate.

No clear favourite has emerged, although Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are considered the front-runners.

However, if it quickly becomes obvious that neither can win, votes are likely to shift to other contenders, with the electors possibly coalescing around geography, doctrinal affinity or common languages.

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