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At the end of the first day of conclave, the smoke that rose from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney was black, meaning the 115 cardinals have yet to agree on a successor to Pope Benedict XVI.
The failure to yet elect a successor comes as no surprise, as no candidate is seen as a strong favourite. Starting today, there will be four votes a day, until the mandatory 77-vote majority is reached.
New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan predicted that the white smoke, which announces the election of a new pope, will rise on March 14.
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