New Pope Not Elected on First Day of Conclave as Search for Francis' Successor Goes On

• About 133 cardinals will gather again on Thursday, May 8, under the vaulted ceilings of the Sistine Chapel, which are decorated with Michelangelo's frescoes, including "The Creation of Adam"
• There, they will cast their second set of ballots to make one among them the next leader of the Catholic Church's more than one billion members worldwide
• A successful candidate to replace Pope Francis, who died on April 21, will require a two-thirds majority of the voting cardinals

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering religion.

Rome, Italy - Black smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

As reported by CNN, this means that cardinals did not elect a new pope on the first day of the conclave.

Fox News also noted the update.

There is no clear frontrunner to take over leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, and cardinals will continue voting Thursday, May 8, 2025, in a series of highly secretive ballots until they choose a successor to Pope Francis.

Legit.ng reported the death of Pope Francis in April, after an illness.

Following his demise and subsequent burial, Catholic cardinals from around the world started casting their votes for a new pope under Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment fresco in the Sistine Chapel in what is the largest and possibly the most unpredictable conclave ever to take place.

Conclave: Cardinals fail to agree on new pope

Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square in Rome needed to be patient as it took longer than expected for the smoke to billow from the chimney, more than three hours after the cardinals began the conclave.

As of the time of this report, the 133 cardinals disagreed on a new pope in the first vote.

The first ballot on Wednesday, May 7, failed, resulting in a plume of black smoke -- fumata nera in Italian -- from the chapel's chimney. White smoke -- fumata bianca -- will signify that a new pope has been elected, as will the ringing of the bells of St. Peter's Basilica.

Up to four rounds of voting typically take place in a day. If no clear choice has emerged after three days, balloting is suspended for 24 hours to allow cardinal electors time to reflect. Another seven rounds of balloting then take place, followed by another break, and so on.

If no pope is elected after 33 or 34 votes -- generally about 13 days -- then a new rule introduced by Pope Benedict XVI decrees that the two leading candidates, as determined by previous ballots, will engage in a runoff vote.

Late Francis' eventual successor will lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Peter Obi speaks on new pope's search

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Nigeria's 2023 election, Peter Obi, called for prayers as the conclave commenced on Wednesday, May 7.

Obi prayed that God would grant cardinals wisdom and guide them in their sacred duty.

The former Anambra state governor prayed that the process would be filled with grace and that the outcome would reflect God’s will for His Church and the world.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng