The iconic chimney atop the Sistine Chapel puffed thick black smoke Wednesday evening, signaling that the Catholic Church's cardinals had failed to choose a new pope to replace the late Pope Francis on their first try.
The smoke – a centuries-old Vatican signal – rose into the twilight sky, disappointing thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square, eyes fixed on the flue.
Journalists and pilgrims had waited for hours, hoping for white smoke, the sign of a successful vote.
But the first ballot among the 133 cardinal electors ended without consensus, extending the suspense over who will guide the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
The secret conclave will resume on Thursday, with up to four votes per day until a two-thirds majority is reached.
The cardinals, locked inside the chapel under Michelangelo’s towering frescoes, are barred from contact with the outside world as they deliberate over the next spiritual leader of the global Church
