No new pope still: Black smoke pours out of Sistine Chapel chimney

Black smoke is again pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating that no pope was elected on the second or third sets of ballots in the conclave to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church.

The smoke billowed out at 11:50 a.m. local time (3:20 p.m. IST) on 8 May, Thursday, after the morning voting session to elect a successor to Pope Francis to lead the 1.4 billion-member church.

With no one securing the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, the 133 cardinals will return to the Vatican residences where they are being sequestered.

They will have lunch and then return to the Sistine Chapel for the afternoon voting session.

Two more votes are possible on Thursday.