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By Myke Agunwa
Few hours after 133 cardinals were locked up in the Sistine chapel, black smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday evening, signaling an inconclusive first vote by cardinals in conclave to elect a new pope that will lead the 1.4 billion Roman Catholic faithful.
Thousands of catholics gathered in St. Peter’s Square waiting for smoke to pour from a narrow flue on the roof of the chapel at the end of a day rich in ritual and pageantry, with prelates praying for divine guidance in their secret ballot.
The crowds had to be patient as it took longer than expected for the smoke to appear, more than three hours after the start of the conclave. This was an hour more than it took for smoke to be seen after the first vote in the 2013 conclave that picked 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 are optimistic a pope elect will emerge by Thursday or Friday.
The 133 cardinal electors, who are all aged under 80, will spend the night secluded in one of two Vatican guesthouses – where they can continue their deliberations in a more informal setting before returning to the chapel 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 person secures two-thirds of votes which is about 89 votes.
Their only communication with the outside world will be the smoke from the chimney as they burn their completed ballot papers mixed with special chemicals – black when a voting session ends with no result, white when a pontiff is elected.
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.