Black Smoke Means No Pope, So Latin Americans Remain Hopeful For One Of Their Own

Black smoke emerges from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel as cardinals voted on the second day of the conclave to elect a pope in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. In the foreground is the statue of St. Paul. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) (AP2013)

Vatican City – Black smoke again billowed -- the third time so far -- from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, meaning that cardinals still have not agreed on who among them should become the next global leader of the Catholic Church.

Cardinals voted twice Wednesday morning in the Vatican's famed frescoed chapel following their inaugural vote Tuesday to elect a successor to Benedict XVI, who stunned the Catholic world last month by becoming the first pope in 600 years to resign.

The cardinals had a lunch break scheduled Wednesday in their Vatican hotel and then they were to return for another two rounds of voting in the afternoon.

Wednesday's black smoke followed the first smoke rising on Tuesday night as thousands stood under the rain in St. Peter's Square with umbrellas, flags -- and a renewed sense of hope.

"The black smoke is part of it, it's a very cautious decision, so it's nice to see," said  Paula Jardini, 25, of Sao Paolo, Brazil while clutching her Brazilian flag.

Jardini, accompanied by Noemia and Maria, had been in Vatican Square nearly 10 hours to take in the morning mass and await the smoke.

"All in all the best one will be elected," Jardini said, though she wouldn't mind if one of her own, Brazil's Cardinal Odilo Scherer, were chosen.

"As a patriot though, I would personally want Brazil," she said.

The black smoke meant that cardinals did not reach a two-thirds majority vote -- at least 77 out of 115 -- to reach a consensus on one candidate for the next pope.

The cardinals ended Tuesday night with a meal back at the Casa Santa Marta, where they are staying each night, within the walls of Vatican City. They ate a modest plain, simple dinner of pasta with tomato sauce, soups, and cheeses, according to Italian news reports.

Black smoke following the first vote is no surprise to Italians. The event did not disappoint international visitors from the Spanish-speaking world.

"It's an impressive moment," said Saul Zamora,16, proudly wrapping himself in a Spanish flag. "It's inexplicable, I have no words to express how happy we are.We just wanted  to see this smoke, but I hope the next pope is anything but European."

Zamora is just hoping for a "modern church" moving forward.

Zamora and a friend, Leida García,15, were also in the square for three hours before the black smoke emerged. They're in Italy on a school trip.

Patricia Znamardi, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, arrived 12 hours before the smoke to see the Mass and will be coming everyday to St. Peter's Square until Friday.

Other visitors changed their planned European trips for a shot at seeing the white smoke indicating a new pope.

Joel Bravo, 33, from Sonora, Mexico, and two friends arrived Tuesday evening from Paris after pulling together cash for the last-minute trip to Italy. They're leaving Wednesday night, and have all their hopes pinned on seeing the white smoke before then.

"We were delayed by a snowstorm and arrived six hours late," Bravo said, waving a gargantuan Mexican flag.

"We have the flag because we are Mexicans and we want to make our presence known," Bravo said. "The pope doesn't have to be Mexican, but it's more important that the person is a good pope."

But if it just happens that it's a good pope from his region of the world, that'd be the icing on the cake, Bravo said.

"If it's a Latin American even better," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.