VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Black smoke billowed from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, signalling that the cardinals locked in a conclave have not yet chosen a new pope to guide the Roman Catholic Church.

Thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square to wait for the smoke to pour from the flue on the chapel’s roof, which it did shortly before noon (1000 GMT), marking the end of the morning voting session when two ballots are held.

The 133 cardinals under the age of 80 began the heavily ritualised and secret process on Wednesday, shut away in complete isolation as they pick a successor to the late Pope Francis.

They burn their ballot papers and mix them with chemicals to show how proceedings are going — black signalling no pope chosen yet, and white announcing a new pontiff.

The cardinals held an initial inconclusive vote on Wednesday evening. They are scheduled to hold up to two more ballots on Thursday afternoon, with possible smoke signals expected some time after 5:30 p.m. (1530 GMT).

The red-hatted “princes of the Church” will keep on voting up to four times a day until someone wins a two-thirds majority.

“Francis was a great guy, down to earth, humble, and I hope they will choose someone just like him,” said Tom Barbitta, from the U.S. state of North Carolina. He is on holiday in Italy with his wife Susan and came to the square to see the smoke.

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.

Francis, the first pope from Latin America, was elected on the evening of the second day of the last conclave, held in 2013, as was his predecessor, Benedict XVI, in 2005.

Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who is 91 and so cannot participate in the conclave, told Italian reporters that he hoped the new pope would be elected by Thursday evening.

Geographical Diversity

A record 133 cardinals from 70 countries are involved in the 2025 ballot, up from 115 from 48 nations in the last conclave – growth that reflects efforts by Francis to extend the global reach of the Church.

While no clear favourite has emerged, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are considered the front-runners.

If it becomes obvious that neither can win, votes are expected to shift to other contenders, with the electors possibly coalescing around geography, doctrinal affinity or common languages.

Other “papabili” – potential papal candidates in Italian – are France’s Jean-Marc Aveline, Hungary’s Peter Erdo, American Robert Prevost, Italy’s Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Filipino Pablo Virgilio David.

During the conclave, cardinals are sequestered from the world and sworn to secrecy, their phones and computers confiscated, while they are shuttled between the Sistine Chapel for voting and two Vatican guesthouses to sleep and dine.

Before the conclave began, some cardinals offered different assessments of what they are looking for in the next pope. Francis’ relatively liberal pontificate was marked by bitter divisions between traditionalists and modernisers.

Some have urged continuity with his vision of greater openness and reform, while others long to turn the clock back and embrace fading traditions. Many have indicated they want a more predictable, measured papacy.

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(Reporting by Joshua McElwee, Crispian Balmer, Philip Pullella and Alvise Armellini; Additional reporting by Cristina Carlevaro; Editing by Nia Williams and Frances Kerry)