Cardinals return to the Sistine Chapel to vote on a new pope after the first ballot fails

VATICAN CITY AP Cardinals return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday to resume voting for a new pope after the first conclave ballot failed to find a winner sending billowing black smoke through the chapel chimney Certain of the voting cardinals had explained they expected a short conclave to replace Pope Francis But it will likely take a meager rounds of voting for one man to secure the two-thirds majority or ballots necessary to become the th pope For much of the past century the conclave has needed between three and ballots to find a pope John Paul I the pope who reigned for days in was elected on the fourth ballot His successor John Paul II needed eight Francis was elected on the fifth in The cardinals opened the secretive centuries-old ritual Wednesday afternoon participating in a rite more theatrical than even Hollywood could create Cardinal Pietro Parolin the -year-old secretary of state under Francis and a leading contender to succeed him as pope assumed leadership of the proceedings as the senior cardinal under age eligible to participate Parolin stood before Michelangelo s vision of heaven and hell The Last Judgment and led the other cardinals in a lengthy oath Each one followed placing his hand on the Gospel and promising in Latin to maintain utmost secrecy The ritual a wash of red-robed cardinals Latin chants incense and solemnity that underscored the magnitude of the moment Outside in St Peter s Square the scene was festive as thousands of people flocked to the piazza to watch the proceedings on giant video screens applauding when the Sistine Chapel s doors slammed shut and the voting began They waited for hours watching screens that evidenced just a skinny chimney and occasional seagull After the vote dragged on to dinnertime specific left in frustration but those who stayed cheered when the smoke ultimately billowed out My hope is that cardinals will choose a man who can be a peacemaker and could reunify the church declared Gabriel Capry a -year-old from London The cardinals were sequestered from the outside world Wednesday their cellphones surrendered and airwaves around the Vatican jammed to prevent all communications until they find a new pope Francis named of the princes of the church choosing a large number of pastors in his image from far-flung countries like Mongolia Sweden and Tonga that had never had a cardinal before His decision to surpass the usual limit of cardinal electors has both lengthened the amount of time it takes for each vote to be processed and injected more uncertainty into a process that is consistently full of mystery and suspense