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Anticipation had been building in St. Peter\u2019s Square on Thursday morning as people started to think in earnest that the cardinals would elect a new pope. But when the first smoke of the day came, just before noon, it was black \u2014 indicating that there was still no consensus inside the Sistine Chapel, where the cardinals were voting.<\/p>\n
Because the past two conclaves to elect Francis and Benedict XVI lasted two days, many of the faithful and tourists milling around the square as a light morning rain turned into bright sunshine said they expected white smoke on Thursday but not until the evening.<\/p>\n
So when the black smoke came at midday, most were not that surprised, training their cellphones on the giant screens flanking the square where they could see the smoke pumping out of the chimney.<\/p>\n
Judith Duru, 22, a nursing student in Rome from Nigeria, filmed the smoke on the screen because she could not see the actual smoke from where she was standing. <\/p>\n
She said she trusted the cardinals to select a \u201cpope with a good heart, who can care for your people, understand your people.\u201d Although she comes from a continent with a fast-growing Catholic population<\/a>, she said she did not care where the new pope hailed from.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t do politics and religion,\u201d she said. \u201cIt does not matter to me\u201d where he comes from, she added. \u201cA good pope will touch everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Before the first smoke signal of the day, Joaqu\u00edn C\u00e1ceres, 30, and Luc\u00eda P\u00e9rez, 28, Argentines who live in Spain, said they had made a wager on Wednesday night after seeing the first plume of black smoke come out of the Sistine Chapel chimney.<\/p>\n \u201cHe thinks this morning, on the third ballot,\u201d Ms. P\u00e9rez said.<\/p>\n \u201cShe thinks this afternoon, on the fifth ballot \u2014 like Francis,\u201d Mr. C\u00e1ceres said.<\/p>\n Although neither had a favorite contender, both said they hoped the cardinals would want to continue Francis\u2019 work.<\/p>\n \u201cThe conclave and the Holy Spirit always work in mysterious ways,\u201d Ms. P\u00e9rez said. \u201cBut they don\u2019t turn a deaf ear to what people say.\u201d<\/p>\n The crowd on Thursday morning was decidedly smaller than the many thousands of people who attended on Wednesday night, probably because a lot of Italians were at work, but perhaps also indicative of expectations that white smoke was more likely to come in the evening. The crowd remained heavily international on Thursday morning, with flags from across the world on view.<\/p>\n Several onlookers said they planned to stick around all day \u2014 and came prepared.<\/p>\n Philipp and Kathrin Wilmes, tourists from Germany, crammed their sightseeing into Monday and Tuesday so that they could wait for six hours in St. Peter\u2019s Square on Wednesday to see the smoke. On Thursday, Mr. Wilmes, 45, had slathered his face with sunscreen expecting another long day. He and his wife, 39, had jackets, bread and water in their backpacks because they said they did not plan to move from their spot against the barrier closest to the basilica. The couple had tickets to fly back to Germany on Friday, and were hoping for an election before then.<\/p>\n Maciej Czaharyn, 33, who is Polish but lives in Iceland, spent seven hours in the square on Wednesday. \u201cI was standing all the time,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it was worth the sacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n On Thursday, Mr. Czaharyn brought a thin cushion to sit on the ground and a grocery bag filled with bottles of electrolyte drinks, chocolate cookies and cigarettes, \u201ceven though you can\u2019t smoke in here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A group of sophomores from the University of Dallas, a Catholic school, had been studying near Marino, Italy, this year and extended their stay for the conclave. They sat in a circle on the ground playing a card game. They had a large bag of chocolate chip cookies and sandwich fixings.<\/p>\n Some Italians found their way to St. Peter\u2019s, too.<\/p>\n Flavia Valle, 16, who was lying on the cobblestones not far from the barrier closest to the basilica, said that she and several friends were skipping high school.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to see the pope come out,\u201d she said, pointing at the balcony framed by thick, red velvet curtains where the new pontiff traditionally makes a first appearance once the white smoke signals his election<\/a>.<\/p>\n She said she was hoping for another charismatic pope in the mode of Francis. \u201cHe talked to the guys, people my age,\u201d she said. \u201cI liked him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n