Papal Conclave LIVE Updates: The new pope is Cardinal Robert Prevost

Cardinals from around the world begin casting their votes for a new pope under Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment as 133 cardinals would begin their secretive and centuries old ritual to elect the successor of Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21. The conclave to select the new pope will begin behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday afternoon as cardinals from 70 countries will be secluded, their cellphones surrendered and airwaves around the Vatican jammed in order to find the next leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church.

Who are the frontrunners: Ahead of the Papal Conclave, a few names have propped up who are being seen as favourites to succeed Pope Francis, namely Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo among others. The uncertainty over the level of support for any one cardinal amongst the 133 cardinal electors suggests that it is one of the most wide-open conclaves in history.

How is the new pope elected: During the vote to elect a new pope, each cardinal would write a name of his choice on a paper with the words “I elect as Supreme Pontiff.” Thereafter, the cardinals would approach the altar one after the other and say, “I call as my witness, Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who, before God, I think should be elected.” The ballots which are folded are placed on a round plate and tipped into an oval silver and gold urn.

The process to elect a new pope has formally begun at the Vatican, with the doors to the Sistine Chapel locked and the 133 cardinal electors cut off from the outside world. To ensure secrecy, the cardinals have surrendered their electronic devices, and signal jammers will be used to prevent any external communication or surveillance. All eyes are now on the chimney.

Many cardinals hadn’t met until last week and lamented they needed more time to get to know one another, raising questions about how long it might take for one man to secure the two-thirds majority, or 89 ballots, necessary to become the 267th pope.

“Wait and see, a little patience, wait and see,” said Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Vatican’s ambassador to Syria.

More than four out of five cardinals voting in the conclave owe their positions to Pope Francis, who appointed 108 of the 133 eligible cardinals. This has led to a diverse group of cardinals from developing countries, including Mongolia and Mali, who may prioritize Francis’ pastoral priorities in selecting the next pope.

Black smoke signalled the end of the first day of the conclave at 21:00, hours after the doors of the Sistine Chapel were closed with the words, "Extra omnes" or "Everyone out." This means the conclave will continue tomorrow morning when the Cardinal electors will gather once more in the Chapel around 10:30am Rome time to cast their votes again for the election of the 267th Pope.

The largest and most geographically diverse conclave in history was due to resume on Thursday, with Roman Catholic cardinals returning to the Sistine Chapel to try to settle a wide-open papal election.

The red-hatted “princes of the Church” started the heavily ritualised process of choosing a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on Wednesday. In the evening, black smoke billowed from a specially-installed chimney visible from St Peter’s Square to signal an inconclusive ballot.

No pope in modern times has been elected on the first attempt, so that outcome was widely expected. But given recent history, a final result is possible from the second day, when up to four rounds of voting can take place.

A record 133 cardinals from 70 countries are involved in the secret ballot, up from 115 from 48 nations in the last conclave in 2013 – growth that reflects efforts by the late Pope Francis to extend the reach of the Church during his 12-year tenure.

Argentine-born Francis, who died last month, was elected at the end of the second day, after five rounds of voting. Eight years earlier, it also took two days but only four votes to elevate Germany’s Benedict XVI to the papacy.

– Reuters

After black smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel Wednesday — signaling no decision — the 133 eligible cardinals resumed voting under heavy secrecy. Cardinals gathered for the second day of a secret conclave to elect a new . The conclave, steeped in centuries-old tradition, is taking place inside the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals vote in silence beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes. Voting will continue until one candidate receives a two-thirds majority — 89 votes — with white smoke signaling the successful election.

Most of the voting cardinals were appointed by Francis, raising expectations that his vision for a more inclusive and pastoral Church could shape the choice. The cardinals represent a broad range of regions, reflecting Catholicism’s global presence, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Once elected, the new pope will choose a papal name and be introduced from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica with the words: “Habemus Papam!” — “We have a pope!”

Popes have ranged from teenagers to octogenarians. Pope John XII was just 18 when elected in 955, while Popes Celestine III and Celestine V were nearly 85 at the time of their elections. Benedict XVI was 78 when chosen in 2005.

While modern rules enforce a waiting period, some past conclaves moved swiftly. The 1503 conclave that elected Pope Julius II took only a few hours—likely the shortest ever under current waiting rules. On the other hand, the longest conclave in history lasted nearly three years. The election of Pope Gregory X took an extraordinary 1,006 days, from November 1268 to September 1271. Frustrated by the delay, Viterbo residents locked the cardinals in and eventually tore the roof off the building to speed up the process.

The first conclave under Michelangelo’s iconic ceiling took place in 1492. Since 1878, the Sistine Chapel has become the fixed venue, with cardinal-electors now staying in the nearby Domus Santa Marta.

Black smoke is again pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating that no pope was elected on second or third ballots of the conclave to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church.

The smoke billowed out at 11:50 am (local time) on Thursday after the morning voting session to elect a successor to Pope Francis to lead the 1.4 billion-member church. (AP)

With no one securing the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, the 133 cardinals will return to the Vatican residences where they are being sequestered. They will have lunch and then return to the Sistine Chapel for the afternoon voting session. Two more votes are possible Thursday.

No pope in modern times has been elected on the first attempt, so Wednesday’s black smoke was widely expected. But given recent history, a successful outcome is possible from the second day.

A new pope has been elected to lead the Catholic Church. His identity will be revealed shortly. Follow live updates.