A second plume of black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney Thursday morning, signaling that the cardinals gathered in the Vatican’s papal conclave had once again failed to elect a new pope.
The smoke emerged at 11:51 a.m. (9:51 a.m. GMT), signalling that the 133 cardinals tasked with choosing the new pope failed to agree on a successor to Pope Francis in the second and third rounds of voting.
Thousands of observers gathered on St. Peter’s Square to await the voting results.
The conclave began on Wednesday, two weeks after the Argentinian pontiff died on Easter Monday, aged 88.
The election of the 267th pope in 2,000 years of Church history could take some time. A two-thirds majority is needed to select a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Until then, the rest of the world will rely on the smoke signals from the chimney on the roof of the ornate chapel in the Apostolic Palace, as the cardinals are secluded from the outside world during the process.
Voting will continue on Thursday, with up to two further rounds in the afternoon, after a lunch pause in the Saint Martha House residence in the Vatican.
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