Conclave fails to elect new pope in first round of voting

Many in the waiting crowd cheered when they saw the black smoke: with darkness descending, it was hard to discern the colour and some thought a new pope had been chosen. Instead cardinals had failed to reach the required two-thirds majority.

Black smoke is seen from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel meaning a new pope is not yet elected and voting will continue tomorrow. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Black smoke has emitted from the specially constructed chimney atop the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City after the first round of voting failed to find a clear Catholic leader to become the new Pope.

A huge cheer went up from the waiting crowd when they first spotted the black smoke: some were confused because it was difficult to assess the colour of the smoke against the dark sky and some tourists next to me initially thought a new Pope had been elected.

But overall the crowd was not too disheartened that a decision has not been made, and many were preparing to return for tomorrow’s four votes.

The black signal, confirming a lack of a two-thirds majority and continuing indecision, was not unexpected: in recent times the Pope has been declared only after multiple rounds of voting.

John Paul II was elected on the eighth ballot on day three of the conclave in 1978 while Benedict XVI was elected in two days after four ballots in 2005.

The 133 voting cardinals, aged under 80, entered the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday morning, having given an oath of secrecy and are now “locked inside the Vatican without outside influence” until they can make a decision.

All of the cardinals, including Australia’s Mykola Bychok from the Saints Peter and Paul church in Melbourne, who at 45 is the youngest Cardinal, and those from diverse nations such as South Sudan, Papua New Guinea and Rwanda, have been accommodated in the nearby Santa Marta residences and make their way to the Sistine Chapel through the Apostolic Palace each morning.

The first morning session of the conclave on Wednesday involved a mass with Cardinal Dean Giovanni Battista Re saying: “May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church intervene with her maternal intercession so that the Holy Spirit may enlighten the minds of the cardinal electors and bring them into agreement in electing the Pope that our time needs’’.

Faithful watch giant screen displaying images of the procession of cardinals to the Sistine Chapel. Picture: AFP

The Sistine Chapel has been swept for bugs and mobile phone service in the area has been disbanded, creating an unusual sight in nearby streets as hordes of tourists suddenly found themselves without a phone signal. They held their phones aloft in a desperate bid to magic some sort of communication from the air.

The conclave began at 4:45pm local time, (12:45am Thursday AEST) with the smoke signal emerging several hours afterwards.

More than 100,000 people crammed into St Peter’s square and around Vatican City to get a sliver of a view of the chimney.

“It’s exciting ” said Sylvia, who was with her mother Antonella. “We live nearby and always come to St Peter’s square in the evening because it is cool and calm, but today is crazy. Everyone is just wanting to see the smoke.”

Ahead of the conclave, Cardinal Fernando Filoni told the Corriere Roma newspaper that cardinals are only answerable to their own conscience.

He said: “We can do all our calculations, I can say I voted for one and in reality I vote door another. Who’s eyes me? My conscience knows.’’

Vatican watchers say that in the first round typically many cardinals vote for themselves, making it extremely difficult for anyone to receive the required 89 votes. Since the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26, the cardinals have met in a daily congregation, discussing the future direction of the Church, with the speakers essentially laying out their position for papal votes.

The Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio gave a four minute talk during the congregation ahead of the 2013 conclave stressing the need to connect the church with all corners of the globe.

It was a surprise when Bergoglio was then announced as the pontiff, after five ballots, and he took the papal name Francis in honour of the 13th century Italian saint Francis of Assisi.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols said people who are not of the Catholic faith are interested in this particular conclave because Pope Francis had broadened the church’s appeal, addressing both religious and people who don’t have a religious affiliation.

A nun takes pictures with her mobile phone as the conclave to elect a new Pope starts. Picture: AFP

The theatre of the conclave, with its secrecy and deal making, has attracted much attention, especially in the wake of the hit movie Conclave which has exposed the inner workings of the Vatican to a new audience.

For the coming week there will be four rounds of voting and two smoke signals each day.

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, aged 88, having been at the helm of the Catholic Church for 12 years.