Cardinals are entering the second day of the papal conclave to elect a new pope.
On Wednesday evening, black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signalling that the cardinals meeting in the conclave had not yet reached a decision
Thousands of people gathered in St Peter’s Square to wait for the result of the first vote, which lasted about three hours
The 133 cardinals retired overnight, and will have breakfast and attend Mass this morning before returning to deliberations
They are allowed no communication with the outside world until a new pope is elected
● It’s important the next pope continues to speak out, says charity CEO
Charity boss Christine Allen was one of the reportedly 45,000 people packed into St Peter’s Square last night.
She tells BBC Radio 5 Live it was “really exciting” as crowds watched the chimney.
Allen, who is CEO of charity Cafod – the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development – says the next pope will inherit “a world in turmoil”.
“Conflict, violence, poverty, climate change, issues around debt and the economy.
“They’re all issues we’re concerned about as a development and humanitarian organisation, so it’s really important this pope will continue to speak out – as they traditionally have done – about the social issues of our day and playing their role on the global stage,” Allen says.
● People queuing to enter St Peter’s Square
As of 7. 17 am on Thursday, it looked like it was going to be another sunny day in Rome, and people had already been queuing up in the early morning sun to get into the main square outside St Peter’s Basilica.
Some of the pictures from the Vatican are published herein.
Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
