Black smoke began to billow from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday, signaling that the first vote of cardinals in the papal conclave ended inconclusively - a pontiff had not yet been elected.
The black smoke means that the Catholic cardinals, gathered in the famous chapel frescoed by Michelangelo, have not yet elected a pope.
The conclave was called after Pope Francis died last month at the age of 88.
The black smoke appeared around 21 p.m. local time (22 p.m. Lithuanian time), meaning no one had the required two-thirds majority.
The vote on Wednesday lasted about three hours and 15 minutes after 133 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel, took an oath of secrecy and officially began the first vote of the conclave.
On Wednesday, tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square, waiting for smoke to appear from the Sistine Chapel chimney.
After the first vote, the cardinals return to rest at the St. Martha's guesthouse, where they will remain until the end of the conclave, isolated from the outside world.
A new vote will be held on Thursday morning.
A conclave can take days, weeks or even months, although both Francis and Benedict XVI were elected in two days.
