Black smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney for the second time Thursday morning, indicating that the 133 cardinals gathered in conclave have not yet reached a decision on who will become the next pope.
The latest smoke signal follows an earlier one on Wednesday evening, showing the cardinals remain divided in their selection of a successor to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday. The process to elect the 267th pontiff in the Catholic Church’s two-millennium history appears likely to continue through the week, though officials caution the timing remains unpredictable.
All eyes remain fixed on the iconic chimney, where white smoke will eventually announce that a new spiritual leader for the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics has been chosen. The cardinals will continue their secret deliberations until they achieve the required two-thirds majority for election.
