INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Black smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday evening, signalling an inconclusive first vote by cardinals locked
in the Sistine Chapel in a conclave to elect a new pope to guide the Roman Catholic Church.Thousands of faithful gathered in St
prelates praying for divine guidance in their secret ballot.The crowds had to be patient as it took longer than expected for the smoke to
appear, more than three hours after the start of the conclave
This was an hour more than it took for smoke to be seen after the first vote in the 2013 conclave that picked the late Pope Francis.When a
pope is chosen, white smoke will emerge, but this had not been expected on Wednesday - a pontiff has not been picked on the first day of a
conclave in modern times.However, some cardinals said this week that they hoped to wrap things up by Thursday or Friday to show the Church
can remain unified after the often divisive, 12-year papacy of Francis, who died last month.The 133 cardinal electors, who are all aged
under 80, will spend the night secluded in one of two Vatican guesthouses - where they can continue their deliberations in a more informal
of at least two-thirds - 89 cardinals this time around.Their only communication with the outside world will be the smoke from the chimney as
they burn their completed ballot papers mixed with special chemicals - black when a voting session ends with no result, white when a pontiff
is elected.Modern papal conclaves are typically short
The 2013 conclave lasted just two days, likewise in 2005 when his predecessor, Benedict XVI, was picked.In recent days, cardinals have
offered different assessments of what they are looking for in the next pontiff who will lead the 1.4-billion-member Church.While some have
Many have indicated they want a more predictable, measured pontificate.In a sermon ahead of the conclave, Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista
heretic, accusing him of being too welcoming to the LGBT community, too accommodating to Protestants and Muslims and too open on a range of
topics, including offering communion for the divorced.No clear favourite has emerged, although Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are considered the front-runners.However, if it quickly becomes obvious that neither can win, votes are likely
to shift to other contenders, with the electors possibly coalescing around geography, doctrinal affinity or common languages.Among other
record 133 cardinals from 70 countries entered the Sistine Chapel, up from 115 from 48 nations in the last conclave in 2013 - growth that
reflects efforts by Francis during his 12-year reign to extend the geographical reach of the Church.Among their considerations will be
whether they should seek a pope from the global South where congregations are growing, as they did in 2013 with Francis, from Argentina, or
hand back the reins to Europe, or even pick a first United States pope.Latin chants and organ music accompanied the cardinals as they
dominating the 500-year-old room.They laid their hands on the Gospels, taking a vow of secrecy not to divulge anything about their
is not meant to be any discussion in the voting sessions but past experience suggests there will be plenty of covert campaigning during
