Eighteen days after Pope Francis last appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, his successor -- the 267th pope -- emerged.

Black smoke was seen wafting from a chimney on Thursday above the Sistine Chapel, signaling that the 133 Catholic cardinal electors tasked with choosing a new pope to succeed Pope Francis had voted inconclusively for a third time.

The cardinals are participating in the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s 2,000-year history.