Cardinals returned to the Sistine Chapel for the second day of voting to elect a new pope. The first round on Wednesday ended with black smoke, signalling no decision. The 133 voting cardinals are meeting in secrecy, their phones surrendered and communication blocked to ensure the integrity of the sacred process.
The red-hatted “princes of the Church” started the heavily ritualised process of choosing a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on Wednesday. In the evening, black smoke billowed from a specially-installed chimney visible from St Peter’s Square to signal an inconclusive ballot.
White smoke would signal the election of a new Church leader. There are no clear favourites, although Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who served as the Vatican’s number two under Francis, and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are considered the front-runners.
If it becomes obvious that neither can obtain the necessary two-thirds majority, votes are expected to shift to other contenders, with the electors possibly coalescing around geography, doctrinal affinity or common languages.
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