No New Pope Yet: Black Smoke Rises from Sistine Chapel After First Vote

At 9:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, black smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signaling that the first round of voting in the papal conclave did not produce a new pope.

The 133 Catholic cardinals, locked in solemn deliberation behind closed doors, began the conclave with a formal procession and an oath of secrecy before casting their ballots around 5:45 p.m.

The conclave will continue in the coming days until a cardinal receives the required two-thirds majority vote to be named the next pontiff.

The world now watches and waits as the process continues inside Vatican City.