Black smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday and again Thursday morning indicated that a new pope had not been chosen to replace Pope Francis on the first ballot.Using smoke to communicate to the public whether a new pope has been elected is somewhat a recent tradition for the Catholic Church.

The cardinals, who broke for lunch and will reconvene this afternoon, are expected to continue casting ballots at the Vatican until one among them receives at least two-thirds of the vote. The release of white smoke, or fumata bianca in Italian, will signify that they've elected a pope, as will the ringing of the bells of St. Peter's Basilica.

At the end of each voting round, black smoke means a new pope has not yet to be selected, while white smoke indicates a new pope has been chosen.