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Cardinals To Continue Voting, After Black Smoke Rises

Posted at 8:41 AM, Mar 13, 2013
and last updated 2013-03-13 08:46:25-04

VATICAN CITY (CNN) — Black smoke billowed out of the chimney at the Sistine Chapel Wednesday morning, indicating a new pope has not yet been chosen.

That means the first two votes of the day were inconclusive, and the ballots were burned.

The 115 voting cardinals are taking part in the second day of the secretive conclave. The cardinals have now held three votes for pope: one Tuesday and two Wednesday morning.

They will have two more opportunities to vote later Wednesday, around 11 a.m.. A two-thirds majority is required to confirm a new pontiff.

The average length of the conclave during the past 100 years is around 3.5 days, but the longest in the last century was only 5 days.