The first day of the conclave to elect the 267th Pope concluded without success, as black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney at 9:00 p.m. on May 8, Wednesday, indicating no candidate received the required two-thirds majority vote.
Approximately 45,000 people had gathered in St. Peter’s Square in hopeful anticipation, waiting nearly two hours for the outcome of the initial ballot.
Despite the disappointment, the mood remained prayerful and expectant.
Among the faithful was Deacon Nicholas Nkoronko from Tanzania. Speaking to Vatican News, he shared, “Our role here is to pray and to join with other Christians, other Catholics, to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide the whole process.”
He continued, “Wherever the new Pope comes from—Africa, Asia, America—what we need is a holy Pope who will guide the Church and be its pastor.”
Voting will resume in the coming days until a new Supreme Pontiff is chosen.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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