No clear frontrunner after first round of papal vote as cardinals brace for more today

There are no clear frontrunners for the papacy after last night’s inconclusive first vote.

Thousands of the faithful huddled in St Peter’s Square to watch the smoke pour out of the narrow flue following a day rich in ritual and pageantry.

Earlier, after praying for divine guidance, the cardinals took a solemn vow in Latin never to divulge any details of their deliberations. They then secluded themselves behind the chapel’s heavy wooden doors.