Black smoke rose once more from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, showing that Catholic cardinals have not yet chosen a new pope.
The ongoing voting process inside the Vatican has so far produced no clear winner, leaving millions of Catholics around the world waiting.
The cardinals began their closed-door conclave on Wednesday evening to pick a successor to Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at age 88 after leading the Catholic Church for twelve years.
Locked away from the public in the Sistine Chapel, the 133 voting cardinals are required to remain silent about the voting process and have taken an oath to keep everything secret.
The tradition of using smoke signals continues as part of the process.
Black smoke means that no candidate has secured the required two-thirds majority, which is at least 89 votes.
Only white smoke will indicate the election of a new pope. So far, the cardinals have completed several rounds of voting, including two ballots on Thursday morning.
More ballots are expected later in the day and on Friday if no decision is reached.
People have been gathering in St Peter’s Square daily, watching closely for any sign of progress.
Some have traveled from faraway countries just to be present for this historic moment.
The mood in the square has been a mix of hope and patience, as the faithful wait for the next leader of the 1.4 billion-member Church.
