ohinalbert: Day 2 of conclave: Black smoke, still no pope

The 115 cardinals were back behind closed doors this morning for two more unsuccessful secret votes to select who among them will be the new leader of the Catholic church. NBC's Lester Holt and Keir Simmons report.

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

VATICAN CITY ? The world was watching the skyline above the Vatican on Wednesday after black smoke signaled for a second time that cardinals had been unable to choose a pope.

On the second day of deliberations, black smoke billowed from the chimney over the Sistine Chapel at about 11:45 a.m. local time (6:45 a.m. ET) Wednesday.?

The ?princes of the church?, who began their papal conclave late Tuesday, will now continue their discussions on Wednesday afternoon.

A fourth ballot was expected at about 5:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. ET) Wednesday. If that is also inconclusive, it is expected cardinals will hold another at about 7 p.m. (2 p.m. ET).

Voting in silence, the cardinals are believed to have now held three inconclusive ballots.

Shut off from the outside world without access to phones or television, the cardinals spent Tuesday night in their accommodation at Casa Santa Marta before returning to to the Sistine Chapel Wednesday.?

Despite sometimes torrential rain, hundreds of tourists were milled around in St. Peter's Square with an eye on the chimney. A television screen showing the chimney was also on show.

?We feel the world watching at this exciting time for the church,? said Father Peter Verity, English priest and spiritual director of Rome?s Beda College, in his homily at Mass at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Wall early Wednesday.

'Hairs standing on end'
Among the dawn worshippers in the congregation were visiting pilgrims Julie Knight, 50, from Indianapolis, and her husband Karl.

?There?s a real sense of occasion in the city,? she said. ?I can feel my hairs standing on end, it?s an incredible feeling.?

NBC's Keir Simmons takes a look at the nerve center of TODAY in Vatican City as Catholics around the world wait with bated breath to see the white smoke signaling a new pope has been selected.

The smoke?is created by the burning of ballot papers used by the cardinals in their deciding vote, with chemical cartridges being added to ensure the smoke appears either black or white ? in the latter case, a sign that a decision has been reached.?

None of the 115 cardinals will be seen or heard, nor will they have any contact with the outside world, until they have chosen a successor to Benedict XVI,?who abdicated on Feb. 28.

"They're on their own now," said NBC News Vatican expert George Weigel, referring to the total isolation demanded by church rules.

Shortly after Tuesday?s conclave began there was a brief drama in St Peter?s Square when semi-naked Ukrainian feminists with the words "pope no more" written on their chests and backs staged a protest before being tackled by police and detained.

Also Tuesday, anti-mafia investigators carried out a string of raids in the diocese of one of the front-runners, Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan and dean of the College of Cardinals.

Police raided homes, offices and hospitals in Lombardy, the region around Milan, and elsewhere, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The U.K.?s Guardian newspaper said healthcare in Lombardy is the principal responsibility of the regional administration, which for the past 18 years has been run by Roberto Formigoni, a childhood friend of Scola and the leading political representative of the Communion and Liberation (CL) fellowship.

On purpose and by chance, Americans join crowd in St. Peter's Square to watch for signs of a newly elected pope.

However, Alessandro Cardinale, Vatican correspondent for Religion New Service, said Scola has for many years distance himself from CL, once joking that being affiliated with it in the past ?was like having two original sins?.

The word "conclave" comes from the Latin meaning "with key". It is a church tradition that began in 1268 when local officials became so fed up with the lack of a decision among cardinals ? they had deliberated for more than two years ? that they locked them away with limited food and water to enco

Such is the importance of secrecy that Vatican officials have installed jamming devices to prevent the use of cellphones by cardinals or hidden microphones by anyone wanting to hear their deliberations.

No conclave has lasted more than five days in the past century, with most finishing within two or three days. Pope Benedict XVI was elected within barely 24 hours in 2005 after just four rounds of voting.