The first secret conclave voting round went ahead today but no pope was elected as shown by the black smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel - white smoke will be emitted when the decision is made

VATICAN CITY (May 8): Cardinals prepared to cast fresh votes today for the next head of the Catholic Church, after sending up a second round of black smoke to signal they had again failed to elect a pope. The 133 cardinals began their secretive conclave in the 15th-century Sistine Chapel on Wednesday afternoon, seeking aRead More

Before entering the papal electionsto pick the next pope, several Catholic cardinals reportedly watched the film Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, to get a sense of the traditions and political undercurrents of the process.

(Updated) Black smoke rose once again from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel at around 5:50 p.m. on Thursday, May 8 (PST), marking a second and third failed vote in the conclave to elect the next pope.

The 69-year-old from Chicago has chosen the name Leo XIV after he was elected on day two of the conclave.