Black smoke rises from Sistine Chapel, no pope chosen yet

Black smoke is billowing from the Sistine Chapel chimney at the Vatican, meaning the Cardinals have not yet selected a new pope.

The 115 cardinals will now break for lunch and return for two more ballots in the afternoon.

After a first inconclusive vote Tuesday, Cardinals began the process of choosing a new pope in earnest on Wednesday, praying for inspiration at the start of the first full day in a conclave to choose a leader to face a major crisis in the Catholic Church.

The 115 cardinal electors attended a morning Mass in the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace.

From there, they were returning to the Sistine Chapel to hold as many as two votes in the morning and two in the afternoon, seeking to elect a pontiff capable of facing a string of scandals and internal strife.

Pilgrims and tourists began arriving in the square early in the morning, hoping to get a glimpse of history by watching smoke emerge from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

When a pope is elected, white smoke will emerge from the chapel and the bells of St Peter's will peal.