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Black smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney this evening. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)
no pope
Black smoke from chapel chimney means there's no pope yet
The Vatican made clear it didn’t expect a winner on the first ballot.
BLACK SMOKE HAS poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signalling that cardinals have failed to elect a pope on their first try.
The cardinals held the first day of the conclave today and are deeply divided over the problems of the church and who best among them could fix them following the stunning resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican made clear it didn’t expect a winner on the first ballot.
The cardinals now return to the Vatican’s Santa Marta hotel for the night. They return to the Apostolic Palace for Mass Wednesday morning and a new round of voting.
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