First day of Conclave voting concluded without the election of a new Pope, as black smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating that no cardinal had received the required majority vote.
The voting, held in secrecy by the College of Cardinals, began in the Sistine Chapel and lasted more than three hours, drawing global attention and live coverage from Vatican City.
In papal conclaves, eligible cardinals under the age of 80 cast their votes on paper ballots, which are folded and placed into a chalice atop an altar during each round of voting.
Each round concludes with the burning of the ballots, and to signal the outcome to the public, chemical additives are used—black smoke (fumata nera) signifies no result, while white smoke (fumata bianca) indicates a successful election.
For black smoke, a blend of potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulfur is used, whereas white smoke is produced by burning a combination of potassium chlorate, lactose, and pine rosin.
By around 9:00 p.m. Vatican time, black smoke billowed from the chapel chimney, signaling that no candidate had yet achieved the two-thirds majority vote required to be declared Pope.
Italian police estimated that more than 30,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in anticipation of the historic moment.
The Conclave will continue with additional ballots in the coming days until a new Pontiff is chosen to lead the Roman Catholic Church.