Tag: Cardinals Conclvae

Here’s a summary of today’s events.

• Some 115 cardinals have begun their conclave to choose the next pope. A puff of black smoke from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel this evening signalled that the cardinals had not yet come to a decision. They will now retire to the isolation of St Martha’s House, within the Vatican walls, and reconvene tomorrow morning at 8.30am GMT for more deliberations. They are expected to choose a new pope within the next couple of days.

• The favourite remains Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan, with Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer in second place. But in truth no figure goes into the conclave with the kind of strong prospects Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had when he became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.

6.46pm GMT