• Kardinals gave up secrecy before the start of Conclave.
• Voting takes place in the Sistine Chapel, cut off from the world.
• Progressive and traditionalists are fighting for supremacy.

Black smoke wavy from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday night, signaling a inconsistent first vote of Cardinals locked in the Sistine Chapel in a Conclave to choose a new pope to guide the Roman Catholic Church.

Thousands of faithful gathered on St. Peter’s square and waited for smoke to pour from a narrow flue gas on the roof of the chapel at the end of a day rich in ritual and pageartry, with prelates asking for divine guidance in their secret ballot.

The crowds had to be patient as it took longer than expected the smoke to be shown, more than three hours after the Conlave start. This was an hour more than it took for smoke to be seen after the first vote in the 2013 conclusion that chose the late Pope Francis.

When a pope is selected, white smoke will occur, but this was not expected on Wednesday – a pontiff has not been picked on the first day of a conclave in modern times.

Some cardinals, however, said this week that they hoped to pack things up on Thursday or Friday to show that the church can remain united after the often divisive, 12-year-old papacy of Francis, who died last month.

The 133 Cardinal voters, all under 80, spend the night secluded in one of two Vatican’s guest houses – where they can continue their considerations in a more informal surroundings before returning to the chapel on Thursday morning.

After Wednesday’s only voting round, the red-hated “Princes of the Church” will hold two votes in the morning session and two in the afternoon and continue in the coming days until a man has secured a majority of at least two-thirds-89 cardinals this time.

Their only communication with the outside world will be smoke from the chimney when they burn their finished ballots mixed with special chemicals – black when a voting session ends without result, white when selecting a pontiff.

Modern papal conclaves are typically short. The 2013 Conlamer lasted only two days, also in 2005, when his predecessor, Benedict XVI, was elected.

In recent days, Cardinals have offered different assessments of what they are looking for in the next pontiff that will lead the 1.4 billion member church.

While some have called for continuity with Francis’ vision of greater openness and reform, others have said that they will return the clock and embrace old traditions. Many have stated that they want a more predictable, measured pontot.

‘The good of the church’

In a sermon ahead of the Conclaven, the Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista re, who at 1 p.m. 91 is too old to participate in the vote, to his colleagues, that they must set aside “any personal consideration” by choosing the new pontiff and remembering only “… Benefit of the church and humanity”.

He also suggested that the next pope should respect diversity in the church. “Unit does not mean uniformity, but a firm and in -depth night world in diversity,” he said.

No clear favorite has come, although the Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are considered front runners.

But if it quickly becomes obvious that neither can win, votes are likely to switch to other challengers where voters may have gathered around geography, doctrinal affinity or ordinary languages.

Among other potential candidates are France’s Jean-Marc Aveline, Hungary’s Peter Erdo, American Robert Prevost and Italy’s Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

A record 133 cardinals from 70 countries entered the Sistine Chapel, up from 115 from 48 nations in the last conclave of 2013 – a growth that reflects the efforts of Francis during his 12 -year reign to expand the geographical reach of the church.

Among their considerations will be whether to seek a pope from the global south, where the congregations are growing, as they did in 2013 with Francis, from Argentina or handing over the reins to Europe or even choosing a first American pope.

Latin song and organ music accompanied the Cardinals as they treated into the frescoed Sistin chapel, before the Conclaven began, with Michelangelo’s portrayal of Christ giving the last judgment that dominated the 500 -year -old space.

They put their hands on the gospels and made a promise of secrecy not to pass on anything about their collection.

Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Vatican’s Ceremonies Master, then stated the Latin command “Extra Omnes!” (Everyone out!) Tells those who are not involved in the collection to leave the room, with the chapel’s heavy wooden doors slaming down on the outside world.

There is no intention of being a discussion in the voting sessions, but experience suggests that there will be plenty of hidden campaign during breaks and meals as the names of “Papabili” rise and fall into successive ballots.