Black Smoke Means No Pope Elected on Conclave's First Day

Black smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel indicated that the cardinals voting for a new pope did not come up with a winner Tuesday.

The papal conclave to elect a new pope began Tuesday morning at the Vatican.

This is the first time in 600 years that an election has been held because of a pope's resignation. Most elections occur as a result of a pope's death during his papacy.

To elect a new pope, every cardinal under the age of 80 must travel to Rome to participate in the conclave election process.

The conclave begins with a mass in St. Peter's Basilica, followed by a procession to the Sistine Chapel.

The chapel is checked for microphones or any other recording devices before the cardinals arrive. The cardinal's phones are also blocked, withholding them from communicating with anyone about the secret election process.

The 115 cardinals participating in the election process this year began by taking an oath of secrecy.

After this oath, the first voting process began. Each cardinal cast one vote, and could not vote for himself.

In order to be elected, a candidate for the papacy must receive two-thirds of the total vote.

This voting process is expected to continue, with two votes in the morning and two in the afternoon, for three more consecutive days, or until a pope has been chosen.

On the fifth day, the cardinals receive a break for prayer and discussion.

The voting process is revealed to the public when the ballots are burned at the end of each voting round.

If no pope has been chosen, the ballots are burned with a chemical that makes black smoke rise from the chimney of the chapel. If white smoke rises from the chapel, this means a new pope has been chosen.

Once a pope has been chosen, he will emerge onto the balcony looking over St. Peter's Square to give a brief speech and say a prayer.

No clear candidate has emerged as the frontrunner of this election, however, certain cardinals have been deemed more "papable" than others, CNN Vatican analyst John Allen said.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has been discussed as a possible candidate.

Dolan was elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops last year.

The Vatican revealed that 5,600 journalists received accreditation to cover the event and reveal the decision of the cardinals.

There are approximately 1.2 billion Roman Catholics who will be awaiting the decision.