By David Brennan
One hundred thirty three cardinals will gather again on Thursday under the vaulted ceilings of the Sistine Chapel, which are decorated with Michelangelo’s frescoes, including “The Creation of Adam,” where they’ll cast their second set of ballots to make one among them the next leader of the Catholic Church’s more than 1 billion members worldwide.
A successful candidate to replace Pope Francis, who died April 21, will require a two-thirds majority of the voting cardinals. The first ballot on Wednesday failed, resulting in a plume of black smoke — fumata nera in Italian — from the chapel’s chimney. White smoke — fumata bianca — will signify that a new pope has been elected, as will the ringing of the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Black smoke on second round of voting, no pope elected
Another round of voting is complete without a new pope being elected, as black smoke is being emitted from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney.
An estimated 45,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for first conclave vote
An estimated 45,000 people gathered in St Peter’s Square to await the results of the first conclave vote, which had been expected some time after 7 p.m. but ended up coming in around 9 p.m., according to Vatican News.
After failing to come to a consensus, the College of Cardinals have gathered on Thursday morning for the second day of conclave, with up to four more opportunities for them to select the 267th pope.