Black smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday evening, signaling that the cardinals had voted but not yet reached the two-thirds majority needed to elect a new pope.
But this was to be expected. No one was really expecting white smoke last night. That’s because the first vote is really about setting out where the support lies within the cardinals.
If there is white smoke early in the conclave, it would indicate that one of the frontrunners may have achieved the consensus.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are seen as favorites because many of the cardinals know who they are.
We must remember, this is a group of cardinals drawn from across the world, who don’t know each other very well. They’ve been wearing name badges when they’ve been meeting.
But Parolin and Tagle have roles in the Vatican, which means they have met many of the cardinals. They are known – that’s what makes them frontrunners.
Cardinal Parolin, who is presiding over the papal conclave, clearly has support within the Vatican. There was an embrace from Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re during the Mass yesterday, with Cardinal Re saying “double good wishes.”
Now, that could mean good luck in your role overseeing the conclave, but it could also be viewed in other ways. It was quite an interesting gesture.
