Reaction in St. Peter's Square to black smoke on first day of Conclave to elect new pope

The faithful and curious at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City reacted to the “unique moment” of watching the smoke billow out from the Sistine Chapel.

Italian faithful Deborah Ruffalo said she “waited anxiously and with great anticipation” for the smoke that would signal whether a new pope had been elected or not to pour out of the chimney on Wednesday.

“We’re placing our hopes in tomorrow, which is also a Marian day, the feast of Our Lady of Pompeii, so surely a Pope under the sign of Mary in the month of May and tomorrow we hope to experience this unique moment here,” she said.

Outside in St. Peter’s Square, the scene was festive as thousands of people flocked to the piazza to watch the proceedings on giant video screens, applauding when the Sistine Chapel’s doors slammed shut and the voting began.

They waited for hours, watching screens that showed just a skinny chimney and occasional seagull. After the vote dragged on to dinnertime, some left in frustration, but those who stayed cheered when the smoke finally billowed out.

The cardinals were sequestered from the outside world Wednesday, their cellphones surrendered and airwaves around the Vatican jammed to prevent all communications until they find a new pope.

Francis named 108 of the 133 “princes of the church,” choosing many pastors in his image from far-flung countries like Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga that had never had a cardinal before.

His decision to surpass the usual limit of 120 cardinal electors has both lengthened the amount of time it takes for each vote to be processed and injected more uncertainty into a process that is always full of mystery and suspense.