BLACK smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, signaling that the first round of voting in the papal conclave did not produce a new pope.
A total of 133 cardinal electors gathered at the Vatican to begin the solemn task of choosing the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church, following the death of Pope Francis last month.
The day began with a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who also presided over the 2013 conclave that elected Francis. After the liturgy, the cardinals moved in procession from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave officially commenced.
Sealed off from the outside world, the Sistine Chapel—famed for Michelangelo’s Renaissance frescoes—will remain closed to all except the electors until a new pontiff is chosen. According to conclave rules, a candidate must secure a two-thirds majority to be elected pope.
This year’s gathering continues a tradition dating back to 1492, when the Sistine Chapel first hosted a papal election—the same year Christopher Columbus reached the New World.
While papal elections once dragged on for years—as they did in the 13th century—modern conclaves tend to be swifter. Pope Francis, for instance, was elected in 2013 after just five ballots over two days.
The cardinals are expected to resume voting Thursday morning.