Cardinals' Initial Vote Fails to Select New Pope in Smoky Vatican Conclave; Throngs of Spectators Await Election Results in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City
Thicker-than-usual black smoke pours from the Sistine Chapel's chimney, a clear sign that the cardinals inside haven't picked a new pope in their initial conclave ballot.
Thousands flocked to Vatican City's St Peter's Square, eagerly awaiting the smoke, which arrived about three hours and fifteen minutes following the seclusion of the 133 cardinals.
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Cardinals from roughly 70 countries were summoned back to Rome after the unfortunate demise of Pope Francis on April 21, following his reign of twelve years as the leader of the Catholic Church. Upon their lockdown on Wednesday, their smartphones were seized, and radio frequencies around the Vatican were jammed to shut down external communications until a new pope is chosen.
On Thursday, the cardinals will reunite in the Sistine Chapel for another round of voting, continuing until one of them gathers a two-thirds majority—89 votes—to claim the title of pope.
The solemn procession of cardinals and other clergy sauntered into the Sistine Chapel was broadcast live on large screens in front of St Peter's Basilica.
Patients in St Peter's Square huddled around screens displaying the chimney and the occasional bird, some leaving out of frustration, while others who stuck around erupted in cheers upon witnessing the smoke finally billowing out.
"It'd be fantastic, heartwarming to witness a new pope here," remarked Catriona Hawe, a 60-year-old tourist from Ireland.
"Francis was fantastic, progressive, a people's pope, albeit not moving things forward as quickly as I'd prefer," she added.
"The Church won't do itself any favors if it elects a conservative."
Al Jazeera News
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In Vatican City, Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid reported that the black smoke, indicating a new pope's absence, was expected. "I can't recall a pope ever being elected on the first day of the conclave," she mentioned. "This initial vote allows cardinals to evaluate the situation and gauge their colleagues' preferences before returning to the guesthouse."
A unique aspect of this conclave is that Pope Francis named 108 out of the 133 "princes of the church," selecting many pastors from nations like Mongolia, Sweden, and Tonga, which have never had a cardinal before. Francis deliberately exceeded the usual limit of 120 cardinal electors, adding an additional layer of uncertainty to an already tense electoral process.
Many cardinals didn't meet until last week and expressed concern about needing more time to get to know one another, raising questions regarding the duration it may take for one man to secure the required votes to become the 267th pope. Previous popes, both Francis and Benedict XVI, were elected within two days, but the longest papal election stretched over a thousand days, from 1268 to 1271.
possible hardships the new pope may encounter
There is currently no clear front-runner to succeed Francis, with the cardinals representing a spectrum of progressive and conservative Church traditions. A number of names are making the rounds, including Italian Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Hungary's Peter Erdo, and Sri Lanka's Malcolm Ranjith.
The 2,000-year-old institution is grappling with several challenges: declining priest numbers, the role of women, Vatican's financial woes, accommodating the Church to the modern world, fallout from the clerical child abuse scandal, and dwindling congregations in Western countries. The new pope will also have to tackle diplomatic conundrums at a time of escalating geopolitical tensions while bridging deep schisms within the Church.
The first sentence could be: "In a surprising turn of events, Al Jazeera reported that the initial voting round in Vatican City's conclave, as shown by the billowing black smoke from the Sistine Chapel's chimney, did not result in the election of a new pope, indicating the continued deliberations in politics and policy-and-legislation within the Church."
The second sentence could be: "The ongoing war of opinions between the progressive and conservative factions within the Catholic Church, as revealed by the uncertain electoral process and the absence of a clear front-runner, may pose significant challenges for the new pope in general-news and overseas diplomacy."
