The Papal conclave that is set to determine the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic church is set to reconvene today after the first day which ended without the much-anticipated result.
Vatican said in a statement that the 133 Cardinal electors will gather once more in the Sistine Chapel around 11:30 am Kenyan time (10:30 am Rome time) to cast their votes again.
The first day of the conclave ended Wednesday evening without the much-anticipated white smoke from the Sistine Chapel.
Black smoke emerged from the chimney over the Sistine Chapel at 21:00, signalling that a first ballot had been held and had concluded without the election of a Pope.
Around 45,000 people had gathered in St Peter's Square to await the announcement, which had been expected some time after 7 pm. In the end, they had to wait until 9.
Among those in the square was Deacon Nicholas Nkoronko from Tanzania.
Speaking to Vatican News, he said: "Our role here is to pray and to join with other Christians, other Catholics, to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide the whole process."
"Wherever the new Pope comes from," Deacon Nkoronko stressed, "whether it's Africa, Asia, America, what we need is we need a holy Pope. We need a Pope who will guide the Church and will be the pastor of the Church.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the 133 eligible cardinal electors from 70 countries gathered in solemn prayer inside the Pauline Chapel.
They later proceeded into the 15th-century Sistine Chapel, where tables and chairs were arranged beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes.
Each cardinal took an oath of secrecy, then approached the altar one by one to vow not to reveal any details of the deliberations.
According to a Vatican video feed, they filed past the Renaissance master’s depiction of the Last Judgement before the master of ceremonies announced “Extra omnes” – Latin for “Everybody out” – and shut the chapel’s heavy doors to begin the centuries-old ritual.
To elect a pope, the cardinal electors must reach a two-thirds majority, which means securing at least 89 votes.
The cardinals, all under the age of 80, will continue voting four times per day- twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon.
If the process fails to produce a result after three days, the electors will pause for a day of prayer and reflection before resuming the voting rounds until one candidate gains the required support.
