Black smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday evening, indicating that the participants in the conclave to elect a new Pope had not reached a consensus on the first day, according to Vatican News.
About 45,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to await the decision and had to wait two hours longer than planned.
To be elected, a candidate must receive two-thirds of the votes of the cardinals present. The conclave will continue until a new pope is elected, during which time the cardinals are forbidden to communicate with the outside world.
On the first day, one round of voting takes place. If a new pontiff is not elected, voting takes place four times a day on the following days. Each stage ends with the burning of the ballots in a furnace. White smoke signals the election of the Pope.
Conclaves vary in length. The election of the previous pope, Francis, in 2013 was one of the fastest in the history of the papacy: he was elected on the second day, after five rounds. The longest conclave lasted almost three years (from November 1268 to September 1271), during which three electors died.
Pope Francis died on April 21 at the age of 88. He was considered a progressive pontiff. Now, the choice of the new pope will largely determine the direction the church will take in the coming years — whether it will be more liberal or, on the contrary, more conservative.
