Catholics fail to elect new Pope as second round of voting ends

The world continues to wait for the announcement of a new pope after another round of voting ended without consensus on Thursday, as black smoke rose once again from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

The 133 cardinals of the College of Cardinals, currently gathered in Vatican City, cast ballots in the second day of the papal conclave to choose a successor to Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21.

The dark smoke- known as fumata nera in Italian - emitted from the chapel's chimney shortly after the morning session, signifying that no candidate had yet secured the required two-thirds majority to become the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church, which counts over 1 billion members globally.

According to Vatican rules, a successful candidate must receive at least 89 votes out of the 133 voting cardinals. Thursday's smoke marked the conclusion of three ballots so far without a definitive outcome.

The conclave, held under tight secrecy in the Sistine Chapel, is expected to continue with additional voting sessions until a consensus is reached. Only when a new pope is chosen will white smoke (fumata bianca) rise, accompanied by the ringing of the bells of St. Peter's Basilica, signaling to the faithful that the Church has a new spiritual leader.

The anticipation remains high as the world watches for signs of the next chapter in Catholic leadership.