Rome conclave: Cardinals resume papal deliberations

People look at a giant TV screen in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Tuesday as 115 cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel on the first day of the conclave to elect the 266th pope Rain did not deter the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square on Tuesday

Cardinals are about to start their second day of deliberations in the Vatican conclave to elect a new Pope, after reaching no decision on Tuesday,according to BBC.

The 115 cardinal-electors are shut off in the Sistine Chapel and a nearby residence until two-thirds agree on a leader for the world’s 1.2bn Catholics.

Black smoke signalling an inconclusive first vote drew cheers from crowds in St Peter’s Square on Tuesday evening.

There is no clear frontrunner to replace Pope Benedict XVI.

The 85-year-old stepped down last month, saying he was no longer strong enough to lead the Church, which is beset by problems ranging from a worldwide scandal over child sex abuse to allegations of corruption at the Vatican Bank.

    08:30 – Prayer followed by voting in the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke will emerge if two morning ballots are inconclusive. White smoke will appear as soon as there is a positive outcome

    Smoke could come any time between about 09:30 and 11:30

    1130 – If no Pope is elected, cardinals go back to their residence for lunch

    15:00 – Cardinals return to the Sistine Chapel for another two rounds of voting – smoke expected between 16:30 and 18:30

    If there is no result by Friday, they will hold a day of prayer and reflection on Saturday before resuming the election

The cardinals will vote four times daily until a single candidate garners enough support – at which point the smoke coming from the Sistine Chapel chimney will be white.

After celebrating Mass this morning, they are returning to the Sistine Chapel to resume voting.

They can vote twice in the morning. If those ballots are inconclusive, black smoke will once again rise from the chimney and the election will resume after lunch.

Voting takes place in silence, with no formal debate, until a decision is reached. If that does not happen after three days, there may be a pause for prayer and informal discussion for a maximum of one day.

Crowds who had braved rain and storms to watch the cardinals go into the conclave on big screens in St Peter’s Square cheered as the black smoke appeared at 19:41 (18:41 GMT) on Tuesday.

M.W