Following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, cardinals began meeting in the Sistine Chapel to elect his successor. The first vote of the conclave resulted in black smoke and no new pope.133 Catholic cardinals did not agree on a pope in the first vote
The conclave of cardinals could last days, weeks or even months
Following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, cardinals began meeting in the Sistine Chapel to elect his successor. The first vote of the conclave resulted in black smoke and no new pope.
Cardinals from around the world will elect a new pope while sequestered in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel — where they will be reminded of the gravity of their decision by Michelangelo’s depiction of the Last JudgementImage: Gregorio Borgia/AP/picture alliance
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What you need to know
133 Catholic cardinals did not agree on a pope in the first vote
The conclave of cardinals could last days, weeks or even months
Successive days will include four votes each day until a new pope is chosen
Cardinals fail to agree on next pope in first vote
When the smoke rising from a Sistine Chapel chimney is white, it will mean cardinals agreed on the next popeImage: Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo/picture alliance
Black smoke rose from the Vatican on Wednesday, signaling that Catholic cardinals — as expected — did not reach a decision on who should lead the church as the next pope.
Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square needed to be patient as it took longer than expected for the smoke to billow from the chimney, more than three hours after cardinals began the conclave.
The next vote is to take place on Thursday.
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