Thick black smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday evening, signaling that the cardinals’ first vote to elect a new pope had ended without a decision. This smoke is the only visible indication of the secretive proceedings within the Papal Conclave, where cardinals surrender their phones and take oaths of silence, while the Vatican disables mobile networks to ensure confidentiality.
Tradition dictates that black smoke means no candidate has secured the required two-thirds majority. By contrast, white smoke will appear once a new pope has been chosen. However, no one expected a decision on the first day, as modern conclaves have never resulted in an election that quickly.
The conclave will resume this morning, with the cardinal electors reconvening in the Sistine Chapel at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time to continue voting for the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
