Black smoke has poured out of the chimney above the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, signalling that the College of Cardinals has yet to elect the new pope.
Thousands of onlookers packed into St Peter’s Square as the wait dragged on into the night, only for sighs of disappointment to rise as the black smoke appeared from the chimney top.
The smoke marks the end of the first round of voting, which will continue until the required two-thirds majority is secured to elect the 267th pontiff.
The conclave will gather once again tomorrow morning, before undertaking another round of voting in the Sistine Chapel at 10:30am Central European Time.
If a two-thirds majority is secured, white smoke will emerge from the chimney. However, if as this evening the cardinals fail to elect the pope, black smoke will billow forth once again.
Assuming a similar schedule to previous conclaves, further rounds of voting will take place at 12pm;5:30pm and 7pm Central European Time (one hour ahead of GMT).
Earlier this afternoon, 133 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel – understood to be the largest conclave in history.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 were eligible to enter the conclave, but it remained the largest group of cardinal electors ever assembled.