Black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney at 13:50 (Cyprus time) Thursday, indicating cardinals failed to elect a new pope in their third ballot since the conclave began.
The 133 cardinal electors have now broken for lunch, with voting expected to resume around 18:00. This marks the second unsuccessful ballot of the day following Wednesday’s initial inconclusive vote.
Approximately 15,000 people gathered in St Peter’s Square to await the announcement, despite persistent uncertainty over when a decision might be reached.
