Dark smoke rose out of the Sistine Chapel chimney Wednesday evening, signaling that the first vote of the conclave failed to reach the two-thirds majority necessary for a new pope.
Onlookers in St. Peter’s Square groaned in disappointment, having hoped for the impossible: a new bishop of Rome in just one ballot. The results of the vote arrived two hours after it was expected.
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It’s hardly a surprise — the cardinals entered the chapel with front-runners, but no one was even near clinching the 89 of 133 votes.
Beginning Thursday, the cardinals will vote four times a day for the rest of the conclave.
CARDINALS ENTER SISTINE CHAPEL FOR PAPAL CONCLAVE UNDER TOTAL DIGITAL LOCKDOWN
Voting will resume Thursday morning with the next smoke signal expected at 10:30 a.m. or noon. If those rounds do not result in a pontiff, another puff of smoke will be expected at 5:30 or 7:30 p.m.
Conclave continues without a break in the cardinals’ seclusion until the next pope is elected.
The area around the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica is outfitted with technology to jam mobile signals and internet access, ensuring the prelates are entirely cutoff.