Conclave: Black smoke at morning session day 2

Black smoke came billowing out of the Sistine chapel’s smokestack Wednesday morning, at about 11.40 a.m. Rome time signalling an inconclusive outcome to the morning voting session of the Cardinals in conclave.

The 115 Cardinals now return to the Santa Marta guesthouse within the Vatican where they are staying for the duration of the conclave. They will return to the Sistine Chapel for another two ballots this afternoon beginning at 4pm.

Unless a Pope is elected in the first of the two ballots this afternoon, we are unlikely to see any smoke emerging from the Sistine Chapel chimney until around 7:30 p.m. local time.