Black smoke after the first vote of the conclave

None of the 133 cardinals has achieved a sufficient majority to be elected Pope.

A thick column of black smoke has just emanated from the chimney installed on the roof of the Sistine Chapel , a clear sign that the first vote of the Conclave has concluded without any of the cardinals having achieved the majority necessary to be elected Pope . The expectation in St. Peter's Square , where thousands of faithful and curious people had gathered, remains.

The day for the 133 cardinal electors (following the confirmed absence for health reasons of Spaniard Antonio Cañizares and Kenyan John Njue ) began at dawn on Wednesday. At 7:00 a.m., they arrived at Casa Santa Marta to occupy their rooms, a place of strict confinement where they will be prohibited from having any contact with the outside world—no cell phones, newspapers, television, or internet access—until the Catholic Church has a new Pontiff.

At 10:00 a.m., the cardinals departed together from Santa Marta to the majestic St. Peter's Basilica for the solemn Mass Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice , a ceremony laden with symbolism and prayer seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Later in the afternoon, the traditional procession from the Pauline Chapel led them to the interior of the Sistine Chapel, the sacred place where the momentous decision will be made.

Shortly after 5:00 p.m., after each cardinal placed his hand on the Gospels and swore to maintain the absolute secrecy of the deliberations and respect the rules of the Conclave, the master of ceremonies pronounced the famous Extra omnes ("All out"). With this order, all those who were not cardinal electors left the chapel, and its doors were hermetically sealed. Under the imposing gaze of Michelangelo 's Last Judgment , the electors listened to a final meditation on the responsibility incumbent upon them before beginning the first and only scrutiny scheduled for today.

In this first vote, often considered a tentative vote to gauge the initial strength, each cardinal wrote the name of his candidate on his ballot, which bears the printed phrase "Eligo in Summum Pontificem ." To be elected Pope, at least 89 votes are needed, a qualified majority of two-thirds plus one of the total of 133 electors present.

Since this number was not reached, the ballots, along with a specific chemical substance to ensure a dark color, were burned in the stove installed in a corner of the Sistine Chapel, producing the black smoke the world has just witnessed. This result, although expected by many Vatican analysts in the first round, indicates that deliberations and the search for consensus will continue in the coming days.

According to the rules established by John Paul II ’s apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis , and kept intact by his successors Benedict XVI and Francis , starting tomorrow, Thursday, four daily ballots will be held—two in the morning and two in the afternoon—until one candidate achieves the required majority. The cardinals, a diverse electoral body that includes 51 Europeans, 11 from the United States, 17 from South America, 23 Asians, 18 Africans and four from Oceania, will now return to Casa Santa Marta to spend the night, reflect and prepare to resume tomorrow the crucial task of electing the 267th successor to Peter.

The Catholic Church and the entire world will be closely following the smoke signals emanating from the Sistine Chapel. Today's black smoke is only the first act of a solemn and secret process that will culminate, when consensus is reached, with the long-awaited white smoke and the jubilant Habemus Papam!