The cardinals are sealed inside the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City for the conclave to elect a new pope — but no winner emerged Wednesday night as black smoke billowed up from the Sistine Chapel chimney.

The smoke appeared around 9 p.m. local time in Vatican City, as thousands looked on from St. Peter’s Square below. The plume came a full 90 minutes past the time the College of Cardinals was set to wrap voting on day one of the conclave. 

As the afternoon’s proceedings began, a Vatican official declared “extra omnes” — everyone out — beneath dramatic biblical frescoes painted by the likes of Michelangelo and Botticelli, prompting all but the 133 voting cardinals to exit the chamber so the centuries-old ritual could commence.

The chapel’s carved wooden double-doors were then closed, as applause from the faithful public in St. Peter’s Square echoed across the city. 

All eyes are now on the chapel’s chimney to await the smoke signal reporting results from the first vote, expected Wednesday night local time.

Helmeted papal Swiss guards were stationed outside the door — armed with spear-tipped halberd axes — while the shadow of the official’s feet could be seen beneath as he sealed the door from within.

Before the doors were shut, leaders of the Catholic church from over 70 countries – the largest conclave in history — filed into the 15th century Sistine Chapel and — wearing robes from their various sects — lined up to take an oath vowing utmost secrecy during the vote proceedings.

“I, the cardinal, promise, vow and swear, so help me God and these holy gospels of God which I touch with my hand,” the cardinals spoke in Latin while placing their gold-ringed right hand on a copy of the Gospels, and then taking a seat.

Everything to know about the conclave

• A conclave is a meeting between cardinals that will privately select a new pope.
• 133 cardinals from around the world have entered the Sistine Chapel for the selection process, and will be the most geographically diverse in history.
• The process could last several days, with the average duration based on the past conclaves lasting roughly three days.
• Ballots will be cast beginning at 4:30 p.m., and a chimney will carry white smoke to announce that a new pope has been chosen, or black if inconclusive. A two-thirds majority vote is required to pick a successor.
• On May 8, white smoke was seen coming out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling the College of Cardinals had chosen a successor.

The Bible was open to Matthew 1:12-23, which outlined the genealogy of Jesus, tracing his lineage back to Abraham, and detailing the events surrounding his birth, including the angel’s appearance to Joseph and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

The next time the world sees the cardinals again, white smoke will be billowing from the chapel chimney and there will be a new pope. 

With the Sistine Chapel doors shut, the cardinals have no contact with the outside world until they decide who among them will succeed Pope Francis.

The punishment for violating their oath of secrecy is immediate excommunication from the church.

While any kind of snooping is strictly forbidden, a few feathered interlopers in the form of seagulls staked out a prime perch atop the Sistine Chapel roof, positioning themselves just feet away from the chimney.

A trio of gulls — including a young chick — were all spotted basking in the Italian sun as the cardinals began their cloak-and-dagger deliberations to decide the new pope.

It is unclear how long this conclave will last. The previous ten averaged three days, with the 2013 selection of Pope Francis lasting two. And none in modern times have gone longer than five days.

Wednesday’s session will allow for one vote, while all following days will allow up to four rounds of voting.

The cardinals famously communicate to the outside world using only smoke signals – black smoke meaning no cardinal received two-thirds support, white meaning a new pope has been chosen.

After Pope Francis’ tenure was marked by reforms in the church – and strong pushback from traditionalists — the cardinals are expected to strive for a speedy conclave to give an impression of unity to the world.

And the faithful in New York are keeping a close eye on the proceedings.

“I’m only paying attention in the hopes we will keep moving forward instead of backwards,” said Sean O’Brien, a librarian at the University of Texas who was visiting St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City as the conclave began.

He added: “I was a huge fan of Pope Francis. I think he really reinvigorated the energy around Catholicism with young people. Inclusion, progressiveness, even being raised old school Catholic, those things have always been important to me.”

Several said they were putting their hopes behind Luis Antonio Tagle, a Filipino cardinal with a progressive vision closely aligned to Pope Francis’.

“He’s the guy I’m rooting for,” said 60-year-old Francois Steichen, from Connecticut. “He’s the one who would continue what Francis did.”

At St. Charles Borromeo church in Brooklyn Heights, 80-year-old priest in residence Monsignor Alfred LoPinto delivered a noon sermon about the conclave and reminded the faithful with eyes on the Sistine chimney that the cardinals’ decision is ultimately about the wellbeing of the church.

“Their concern is the church, not their national identity, not their language, not their progressive or conservative politics,” he said. “No, the cardinals that went in this morning are most concerned about who will best represent the voice of Jesus in the world.”

“They went in, took their oath, the oath of secrecy. The oath of secrecy is that they will not divulge what happens inside the conclave or be influenced by anything outside the conclave. They are sealed inside so they can discern the will of God,” he added.

About 80% of the cardinals participating were appointed by Pope Francis, meaning the likelihood is high that his successor will continue his progressive policies.

That also means a majority of the cardinals voting this year have never participated in a conclave before.

Secrecy protocols are paramount at the ceremony, with the Vatican using high-tech measures like signal jamming devices to prevent any communication with the outside world – and to prevent the outside world from covertly listening in.

The oath of secrecy extends even beyond the cardinals — with everybody in the Vatican, from cooks to elevator operators and beyond, vowing Monday to keep their lips sealed about the preparations.

Wednesday’s conclave was preceded by a public mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.

It comes after a required period of mourning after Pope Francis’ death on April 21.

With no new pope elected after the first day of the conclave, the cardinals will reconvene in the chapel Thursday at 9:30 a.m. local time — 3:30 a.m. Eastern Time — for the next round of voting after a mid-morning prayer.

If no winner comes to light after the next round, the men will take a break at 12:30 p.m. and return to vote again starting at 4:50 p.m. until about 7:30 p.m.