The signal of black smoke – fumata nera – indicating that the 133 cardinal-electors have failed to elect a new pope has come from the Sistine Chapel chimney following the first two ballots of the day.
Black smoke billowing from the chimney at 11.51 a.m. local time in Rome indicated that again the required two-thirds majority – at least 89 votes – hasn’t been achieved to find a successor to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, 21 April, at the age of 88 years old.
Once white smoke emerges that will be the signal that the next leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics and the 267th pope has been chosen.
