CARDINALS have entered the second day of the conclave to elect a new pope
On Wednesday evening, black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signalling that the electors had not reached a decision.
To become pope, a cardinal needs two-thirds of the ballots cast by the College of Cardinals that is 89 votes out of the 133 eligible cardinals.
Crowds are queuing to get into St Peter’s Square, with an estimated 45 000 gathered there yesterday
The 133 electing cardinals are attending Mass this morning before returning to deliberations, with a vote expected around 10:30 local time (09:30 BST), followed by another at 12:00 (11:00 BST)
Most of the cardinals voting in the conclave are in their 60s and 70s, but the youngest is just 45.
For this morning’s first vote we’ll only see smoke if a new pope is chosen.
The second vote will see smoke no matter the result – black smoke if no pope is chosen, white smoke if there is a new pope.
For electing cardinals, all conversations with outsiders are forbidden during this period.
Historically, conclaves have sometimes lasted weeks and months, with the longest one lasting three years (but that was a few centuries ago).
The last few conclaves have tended to last just a few days though, with the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics watching the Sistine Chapel’s chimney in high anticipation.
(BBCNEWS)
