By Mark Ogagan
Thick black smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, signalling that the cardinals sealed off inside have failed to elect a new pope in their first conclave vote on Wednesday.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Vatican City’s St Peter’s Square to await the smoke, which came about three hours and 15 minutes after the 133 cardinals were sequestered.
Cardinals from about 70 countries were called back to Rome following Pope Francis’s death on April 21 after 12 years as head of the Catholic Church. As they were shut off from the outside world on Wednesday, their mobile phones were surrendered, and airwaves around the Vatican were jammed to prevent communications until a new pope is elected.
The cardinals will return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday to vote again, and will continue to do so until one of them secures a two-thirds majority – 89 votes – to be elected pope.
The start of the conclave, with a solemn procession of cardinals and other clergy into the Sistine Chapel, was streamed live on large screens in front of St Peter’s Basilica.
Huge crowds waited in St Peter’s Square, watching screens that showed the chimney and the occasional seagull. While some left in frustration, those who stayed cheered when the smoke finally billowed out.
“It would be perfect, lovely to be here for a new pope,” said Irish tourist Catriona Hawe, 60.
“Francis was brilliant, progressive, a man of the people, though he didn’t move things forward as quickly as I would have liked,” she said.
“The Church won’t be doing itself any favours if it elects someone conservative.”
For the record, no new pope was ever elected on the first day of the conclave.
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