On Thursday afternoon, black smoke once again emerged from the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. The 133 cardinals who had sequestered themselves there to elect a new Pope have still not been able to find a successor to the recently deceased Pope Francis after the second ballot.
To elect a new Pope, a two-thirds majority is required among the eligible cardinals. Currently, this amounts to 89 votes. If this does not happen, white smoke will rise from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. On Thursday, up to four ballots are possible. After 35 unsuccessful ballots, a runoff election is possible. However, in the past two conclaves, the new Pope was determined much faster: Benedict XVI needed four ballots in 2005 and his successor, Pope Francis, who already had a favorite role in 2005, was elected after five ballots in 2013.
The majority of the eligible voters, 52 cardinals, come from Europe, including 17 from Italy alone. There are 23 cardinals from Asia, 20 from North America and 17 from South America. On the African continent, Popes have so far appointed 17 cardinals and in Oceania, there are four. Potential favorites include Pietro Parolin, Luis Antonio Tagle, Peter Erdö, Matteo Zuppi and Pierbattista Pizzaballa.