At 9:00 p.m., a black smoke emerged from the chimney installed on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. The dark smoke confirmed that no cardinal had reached the necessary 89 votes - the required two-thirds majority - to be elected pope in the first scrutiny of the conclave.
Although an election was not achieved, this first ballot gives the cardinals a first real impression of the voting intentions of the rest.
Four possible smoke tomorrow
Starting tomorrow, Thursday, May 8, four ballots will be held daily: two in the morning and two in the afternoon. However, only one smoke will be emitted in the morning and one in the afternoon, after the second ballot of each block. In other words, there will be no smoke after the first vote in the morning or in the afternoon, except in the case of an election.
The times foreseen for the possible smoking on Thursday are: 10:30, 12:00, 17:30 or 19:00. The times are obviously approximate, as they depend on the pace of voting.
Isolation and stealth continue
The 133 Cardinal electors will remain in total isolation, housed in the Casa Santa Marta and commuting daily to the Sistine Chapel to vote. They cannot communicate with the outside world, and the whole process is protected by signal jammers and oaths of confidentiality.
The world remains expectant before the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, waiting for the white smoke that will announce the election of the new Pope.
