Black Smoke Emerges From Sistine Chapel Chimney: No New Pope Yet

VATICAN CITY (TheBlaze/AP) -- Black smoke has poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling that cardinals have failed to elect a pope on their first try.

Black smoke emerges from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Tuesday, March 12, 2013. The black smoke indicates that the new pope has not been elected yet. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

The cardinals held the first day of the conclave Tuesday deeply divided over the problems of the church and who best among them could fix them following the stunning resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican made clear it didn't expect a winner on the first ballot.

The cardinals now return to the Vatican's Santa Marta hotel for the night. They return to the Apostolic Palace for Mass Wednesday morning and a new round of voting. As TheBlaze reported earlier today, the voting process follows very strict protocol.

Want more information about the process of electing a pope? Check out TheBlaze’s extensive coverage here.

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