Black smoke was seen wafting from a chimney on Thursday above the Sistine Chapel, signaling that the 133 Catholic cardinal electors tasked with choosing a new pope to succeed Pope Francis had voted inconclusively for a third time.

Roman Catholic cardinals gathered at the Vatican in Rome failed to choose a new pope on their second day of voting.

Crowds were gathered in their tens of thousands in St Peter's Square in Vatican City for the first vote of conclave.