On the first day of the catholic conference, black smoke drew out of the Sistine Chapel‘s stove, indicating that no fresh bishop had been chosen. The smoke indicated a first-hand vote by the chiefs who had gathered in Vatican City to choose the next Catholic Church leader was ineffective. Nearly four days after 133 chiefs swore oaths of secrecy and entered the Sistine Chapel, the dust rose at 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday, marking the start of the 4,000-person method for selecting a new pope to achieve Pope Francis as president of the Catholic Church’s 1.4 billion fans.
The cardinals will spend the night in their Vatican accommodations where they remain sequestered because no candidate received the required two-thirds majority ( 89 votes ). When they return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday night, the conference may begin. The 133 chiefs, who represent 70 nations, have been blocked from the outside world. Their cell phones were delivered, and sign jammers have been set up around the Vatican to thwart any conversation until a new bishop is elected. Pope Francis had worked to expand the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church’s reach as a whole after passing away on Easter Monday at the age of 88. He disregarded both the personality of the college of cardinals and past customs regarding who could become a saint in the world.
