Black smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday and again Thursday morning indicated that a new pope had not been chosen to replace Pope Francis on the first ballot.Using smoke to communicate to the public whether a new pope has been elected is somewhat a recent tradition for the Catholic Church.

At the end of each voting round, black smoke means a new pope has not yet to be selected, while white smoke indicates a new pope has been chosen.

The conclave to elect the new pope brought no new updates as the Sistine Chapel chimney billowed black smoke, indicating no new pontiff had been selected.