The first attempt to elect a new spiritual leader for the Catholic Church has failed, Vatican officials have confirmed.
A total of 133 cardinals were unable to reach a consensus on the new pope's identity.
The outcome was signalled by black smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating that no decision had been made.
A second round of voting is scheduled to take place today.
Also Read: Trump as the next pope? This AI image has everyone talking
US President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image of himself dressed in papal robes on his Truth Social platform this week, days before the Vatican is set to begin the process of electing a new pope.
The image, in full colour, shows the president clad in traditional papal attire — white robes, a gold crucifix pendant, and the ceremonial mitre hat — with his right index finger pointing skyward. The picture appears to have been generated with artificial intelligence and was posted shortly after Mr Trump made a characteristically provocative remark about his aspirations for the papacy.
