The Catholic Church remains without a new leader as black smoke once again billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Thursday morning, signaling that the second round of voting by the College of Cardinals failed to produce a pope.
At approximately 10:50 a.m. UK time, the dark smoke—an iconic signal—indicated no candidate had received the required two-thirds majority (89 out of 133 votes) to be named the next pope. The cardinals had first convened on Wednesday afternoon in the Vatican to begin the solemn, centuries-old process of choosing a successor to the late Pope Francis.
The cardinals, representing diverse corners of the globe, are scheduled to cast two ballots each morning and two each afternoon until consensus is reached. However, smoke only appears after the second vote of each session.
Following the unsuccessful morning vote, the cardinals broke for lunch and are expected to return to the Sistine Chapel for additional rounds of voting Thursday afternoon.