Cardinals continue search for pope

Cardinals will make another two attempts to elect a pope today after failing in their first vote of a historic papal conclave, in a secret and sacred quest to choose a new leader for the Roman Catholic Church.

Black smoke that initially looked light enough to throw even Vatican Radio analysts off guard poured from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel last night, disappointing a crowd of 40,000 pilgrims packing St Peter’s Square for a sign that the 115 voting cardinals from six continents had settled on a successor to Pope John Paul II.