Angela Giuffrida in Vatican City

Cardinals begin locked-in selection process amid throng of pilgrims and peaceful protest for women’s rights in church

• Explainer: how does the conclave work?

Plumes of black smoke have emerged from the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel, signalling that the 133 cardinals sealed off inside have failed to elect a new pope on the first day of conclave.

After the formal procession to the Sistine Chapel and each of the cardinals swearing the oath to secrecy, the first voting round only got under way at about 5.45pm local time. Then all eyes were on the famous chimney, which was diligently guarded by a seagull for some of the time the cardinals were voting.

Papal electors gossip in bars and restaurants and try to avoid journalists seeking clues to Pope Francis’s successor

Some journalists brave the warm spring sun, others seek respite in the shade of the Vatican’s colonnades. Whatever their strategy, the aim is the same: to spot the red-capped cardinals emerging from Synod Hall and try to elicit from them a clue as to who will succeed Pope Francis.

The men responsible for picking a new pontiff are enjoying rock-star status in Rome this week as they prepare for conclave: the secret, centuries-old ritual of electing a leader of the Catholic church that is due to begin on 7 May.