Cardinals vote in the Vatican for a second day to elect a new pope

Cardinals pray in the Sistine Chapel, ahead of the conclave to elect the next pope at the Vatican, May 7, 2025. Vatican Media/Handout via Reuters 

The 2025 Conclave: Electing a New Pope – Live Updates

VATICAN CITY — Catholic cardinals are returning to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday for a second day of voting to try and elect a new pope.

The 133 cardinals are expected to vote again in the morning after spending the night sequestered at the Vatican residences. On Wednesday evening, black smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney indicating no pope was elected on the first ballot of the conclave.

The cardinals have been sworn to secrecy in the centuries-old ritual to elect a new leader of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church. To become pope, a cardinal needs a two-thirds majority, or 89 votes. This conclave is the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s 2,000-year history.

Here is the latest:

Day 2 of waiting for a new pope

Many faithful are hoping that the second day of the conclave will give the church and the world a new pope after a first vote produced dark smoke on Wednesday evening, sending a disappointed crowd to disperse in all directions in Rome.

Earlier, some of the people had started thinking that the long wait was the sign cardinals had reached a decision in a first vote, which would be unprecedented in the modern era.

“They probably need more time,” said Costanza Ranaldi, a 63-year-old who travelled from Pescara in Italy’s Abruzzo region to be present at the historic moment.

Chiara Pironi, a 26-year-old who lives in Rome, said she would keep returning to St. Peter’s Square until a new pope is chosen.

“I don’t want to miss that moment,” she said.

A proverb and a warning

There is an old prover that Italians keep repeating: “He who enters the conclave as pope leaves as a cardinal.”

The saying warns against overconfidence among frontrunners in papal elections — those widely expected to win often do not.

In Rome, the phrase is heard frequently, from casual conversations to live TV broadcasts, where commentators use it to temper speculation.

It’s a reminder of the secrecy and unpredictability of the conclave, where decisions are made behind locked doors, and outcomes can surprise even seasoned Vatican watchers