Thousands of faithful Catholics are waiting in the rain outside the Sistine Chapel today waiting for the election of a new Pope.
The pilgrims were disappointed this morning, when the cardinals locked inside failed to make a decision after voting for a second time on a replacement for Benedict XVI following his shock resignation.
Black smoke poured out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel around 10.40am GMT to signify that the latest ballot had resulted in deadlock.
The 115 senior priests did not manage to elect a pontiff during two hours of discussion yesterday, and sent up a plume of black smoke to signal their disagreement before retiring for the night.
Waiting for the Pope: Catholics gathered in St Peter's Square in hope of hearing a result from the papal conclave choosing the next pontiff
Disappointment: Black smoke emerged out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel around 10.40am GMT to signify the cardinals were deadlocked
No result: Smoke rose over the roofs of the Vatican to indicate that the Pope had not yet been chosen this morning
Anticipation: A believer in St Peter's Square on Wednesday waiting to hear news on the election of the next Pope
Take shelter: Thankfully, many of the pilgrims had brought umbrellas to stop themselves getting wet in the rain
Undeterred: The size of the crowd did not seem to be negatively affected by the foul weather over Rome
Benedict's resignation has thrown the church into turmoil and exposed deep divisions among cardinals grappling with whether to pick a manager who can clean up the Vatican bureaucracy or a pastor who can inspire Catholics at a time of crisis.
The red-hatted and red-caped cardinals yesterday chanted and prayed for divine guidance as they prepared for a conclave to choose a pontiff who will face one of the most difficult periods in the Church's history.
Sightseeing: A group of nuns in the Vatican's main square looking towards the Sistine Chapel
Crowd: Thousands of the faithful have gathered in Rome to welcome the new Pope once he is elected
Flags: Many of the bystanders were accompanied either by their national colours, left, or by the banner of the Vatican itself, right
International: The Catholics gathered in Rome have assembled from around the world for the big occasion
Pilgrim: A man kneels in prayer in a rain-slicked St Peter's Square while cardinals gather in the chapel
Sodden: The faithful were soaked in the rain as they waited for confirmation of a new Pope
On duty: Even the Vatican gendarmes had to cover up to defend against the weather in St Peter's Square
They gathered in the Pauline Chapel and walked in procession along the frescoed halls of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace into the Sistine, where they could remain closeted for several days of balloting.
'The entire Church, united with us in prayer, asks for the grace of the Holy Spirit at this moment so that we elect a worthy shepherd for the entire flock of Christ,' a cardinal said in Latin as the procession began.
They then chanted what is known as the 'litany of saints', asking more than 150 saints by name for help in making their choice of who should succeed Benedict XVI, who has withdrawn from public life after his surprise abdication last month.
Cardinals chanting the Latin hymn 'Veni Creator Spiritus' (Come Creator Spirit) in the Sistine Chapel before the start of the conclave
On their way: Cardinals Giovanni Lajolo and Tarcisio Bertone entering the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave on Wednesday
Once inside the Sistine, they took their places along the walls of the frescoed chapel and sang a hymn to the Holy Spirit, asking it to 'visit our minds' during the election process.
They then read an oath in Latin, promising to abide by all the rules of the conclave, including not to reveal anything that goes on during the conclave.
Some analysts expect a relatively lengthy conclave because there is no frontrunner to succeed Benedict, who became the first pope in six centuries to step down, saying he was not strong enough at 85 to confront the woes of a Church whose 1.2 billion members look to Rome for leadership.
Smoke - white for a new pontiff, black after an inconclusive vote - emerges from the chimney on the Sistine's roof every time a ballot is held
The balloting for the next pontiff is taking place under the gaze of the divine presence represented through Michelangelo's fresco of the Last Judgment on the wall behind the altar.
The solemn afternoon procession into the Sistine followed a morning Mass in St. Peter's Basilica where Angelo Sodano, an Italian who is dean of the cardinals, called for unity in the Church, which has been riven with intrigue and scandal, and urged everyone to work with the next pope.
Treading an uncertain path: Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict
No Pope: Black smoke billows from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel to indicate that no new Pontiff was chosen during the first round of voting. When white smoke appears, a new Pope has been chosen
Italy's Angelo Scola and Brazil's Odilo Scherer are spoken of as possible frontrunners.
The former would return the papacy to Italy after 35 years in the hands of Poland's John Paul II and the German Benedict, while Scherer would be the first non-European pope since Syrian-born Gregory III in the 8th century.
On the eve of the vote, cardinals offered wildly different assessments of what they were looking for in the next pontiff and how close they were to a decision.
It was evidence that Benedict XVI's surprise resignation has continued to destabilise the church leadership and that his final appeal for unity may go unheeded, at least in the early rounds of voting.
Anticipation: Cardinals, in red, process through St Peter's Basilica during a mass before they enter the Sistine Chapel to elect the next pope
'My brothers, let us pray that the Lord will grant us a pontiff who will embrace this noble mission with a generous heart,' Sodano said in his homily, receiving warm applause when he thanked 'the beloved and venerable' Benedict.
The former pontiff, who retired on February 28, has excluded himself from public life and was not present yesterday.
No clear favourite has emerged to take the helm of the Church, with some prelates calling for a strong manager to control the much criticised Vatican bureaucracy, while others want a powerful pastor to combat growing secularism.
Putting on the thinking cap: A cardinal puts on his mitre hat during the Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica as a clear front runner has yet to emerge in the papal election
Differences: The cardinals listen to a final appeal for unity within the church from the dean of the College of Cardinals after a turbulent few weeks for the Vatican
FIND OUT WHO'S NEXT POPE IN BLACK AND WHITE... BY TEXT
White smoke or black smoke?
Maybe it's easier just to wait for a text message that a new pope has been elected.
A Catholic organisation has set up a website, www.popealarm.com, that lets people register to receive a text or email notification when a pope has been selected.
While the process of selecting a new pope is as old as the ages, there are enough changes to the media to make the last papal conclave - in 2005 - seem like ancient history.
Another new website, www.adoptacardinal.org, assigns interested people one of the voting cardinals at random to pray for him as he deliberates on a new pope.
More than 450,000 people had signed up by Monday.
Cardinal Scola is affable and Italian, but not from the Italian-centric Vatican bureaucracy called the Curia.
That gives him clout with those seeking to reform the nerve centre of the church that has been discredited by revelations of leaks and complaints from cardinals in the field that Rome is inefficient and unresponsive to their needs.
Cardinal Scherer seems to be favoured by Latin Americans and the Curia.
He has a solid handle on the Vatican's finances, sitting on the governing commission of the Vatican bank, as well as the Holy See's main budget committee.
As a non-Italian, the archbishop of Sao Paulo would be expected to name an Italian as secretary of state - the Vatican number two who runs day-to-day affairs - another plus for Vatican-based cardinals who would want one of their own running the shop.
The pastoral camp seems to be focusing on two Americans, New York archbishop Timothy Dolan and Boston archbishop Sean O'Malley. Neither has Vatican experience.
Canadian cardinal Marc Ouellet is well-respected, stemming from his job at the important Vatican office that vets bishop appointments.
If the leading names fail to reach the 77 votes required for victory in the first few rounds of balloting, any number of surprise candidates could come to the fore as alternatives.
During the voting, each cardinal writes his choice on a rectangular piece of paper inscribed with the words 'Eligo in summem pontificem' - Latin for 'I elect as Supreme Pontiff'.
Holding the folded ballot up in the air, each approaches the altar and places it on a saucer, before tipping it into an oval urn, as he intones these words: 'I call as my witness, Christ the Lord, who will be my judge that my vote is given to the one who, before God, I think should be elected.'
First to quit in 600 years: Former pope, Benedict XVI, pictured blessing his followers for the last time as he arrived at Castel Gandolfo last month before his retirement
After the votes are counted, and the outcomes announced, the papers are bound together with a needle and thread, each ballot pierced through the word 'Eligo'. The ballots are then placed in a cast-iron stove and burned with a special chemical.
That is when all eyes turn to the 6ft copper chimney atop the Sistine Chapel to pipe out puffs of smoke to tell the world if there is a new pope.
Black smoke means 'not yet' - the likely outcome after round one. White smoke means the 266th pope has been chosen.
The next pope will face a church in crisis: Benedict spent his eight-year pontificate trying to revive Catholicism amid the secular trends that have made it almost irrelevant in places like Europe, once a stronghold of Christianity.
Clerical sex abuse scandals have soured many faithful and competition from rival evangelical churches in Latin America and Africa has drawn souls away.
Closer to home, leaks of papal documents last year exposed ugly turf battles, allegations of corruption and even a plot purportedly orchestrated by Benedict's aides to out a prominent Italian Catholic editor as gay.
VOTE FOLLOWS SERIES OF CHOREOGRAPHED RULES HALLOWED BY TRADITION
WHO VOTES?
Only cardinals under age 80 are eligible. In this case, 115 men fit the bill.
Two cardinals who were eligible stayed home: The emeritus archbishop of Jakarta, Cardinal Julius Darmaatjadja, who is ill, and Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who recused himself after admitting to inappropriate sexual behavior.
WHAT IS THE RITUAL?
The conclave's first day begins with the 'Pro eligendo Romano Pontificie' Mass for the election of a pope.
In the afternoon, cardinals gather in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace and file into the Sistine Chapel chanting the Litany of Saints and the Latin hymn 'Veni Creator,' imploring saints and the Holy Spirit to help them pick a pope.
Standing under Michelangelo's 'Creation' and before his 'Last Judgment,' each cardinal places his hand on a book of the Gospels and pledges 'with the greatest fidelity' never to reveal the details of the conclave.
A meditation on the qualities needed for the next pope and the challenges ahead for the church is delivered by Maltese Cardinal Prosper Grech.
The master of liturgical celebrations then cries 'Extra omnes,' Latin for 'all out.' Everyone except the cardinals leaves and the voting can begin.
HOW DO THEY VOTE?
Each cardinal writes his choice on a paper inscribed with the words 'Eligo in summen pontificem,' or 'I elect as Supreme Pontiff.'
They approach the altar one by one and say: 'I call as my witness, Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who, before God, I think should be elected.'
The folded ballot is placed on a round plate and slid into an oval silver and gold urn.
In the past, a single chalice was used to hold the ballots. But conclave changes made by Pope John Paul II in 1996 required three vessels: one for chapel ballots, another for ailing cardinals at the Vatican who can vote from their beds and the third to hold the ballots after counting.
WHAT HAPPENS ONCE THE POPE IS ELECTED?
Once a cardinal has been elected pope, the master of liturgical ceremonies enters the Sistine Chapel and the senior cardinal asks 'Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?'
Assuming the cardinal says 'I accept,' the senior cardinal then asks: 'By what name do you wish to be called?'
The master of liturgical ceremonies, Monsignor Guido Marini, then enters the information on a formal document.
At this point, white smoke pours out of the Sistine Chapel chimney and bells of St Peters toll.
The new pope then changes into his papal white cassock, and one-by-one the cardinals approach him to swear their obedience.
In a change for this conclave, the new pope will stop and pray in the Pauline Chapel for a few minutes before emerging on the loggia of the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square.
Preceding him to the balcony is French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the protodeacon, who announces 'Habemus Papam!' Latin for 'We have a pope'.
The new pope then emerges and delivers his first public words as pope.
The world's most exclusive tailor which only serves the Vatican
As the world waits to welcome the next Pope, one Italian company is looking forward to meeting its newest customer.
Gammarelli is a tailor's firm in Rome which has made robes for six Popes over the past 200 years, as well as kitting out hundreds of cardinals and thousands of priests.
Annibale Gammarelli, the 81-year-old great-great-grandson of the company's founder Antonio, is currently running the business which will provide the new Pope's outfits.
Tailor: Gammarelli has been making clothes for the Vatican for centuries; the shop is pictured left before the 1939 papal conclave and right before this year's event
The firm has previously made clothes for Pius IX, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
The Pope's vestments consist of a robe of ivory wool, a white cassock with 33 buttons symbolising the age of Christ, a skullcap, red leather shoes and a white cape known as a mozzetta.
Because they do not know who the next Pope will be, the tailors have had to prepare versions of the garments in small, medium and large sizes.
Hard at work: Employees of the tailor have been busy crafting the vestments which will be worn by the next Pope
Filippo Gammarelli said: 'The model has remained the same as that mandated by Pius IX, more than one hundred and fifty years ago, and since then all we pack for the Popes responds to these canons, albeit with some licence imposed by the various flavours of the Popes.
'To Pope Luciani - John Paul I - for example, we had to replace the white dress immediately after his elections, because it was wet with tears of his emotion.'
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