Cardinals continuing the process of choosing a new pope failed to agree in the first vote of their first full day of selecting a new leader in the Roman Catholic Church.
The 115 cardinal electors returned to the frescoed Sistine Chapel - to continue their series of votes to elect a new pontiff - but the first of their traditional smoke signals for the second day of the conclave was again black smoke, (shortly after 11.30pm on Wednesday in New Zealand).
The initial single vote on the first day also ended inconclusively: black smoke billowing from a chimney above the chapel to signal no pope had been elected.
Most bets are on a decision by Friday morning although there is still no clear favourite and it could take longer.
The Church is reeling from a child abuse scandal and the case in which the last Pope, Benedict's butler revealed documents alleging corruption and infighting inside the Curia, or central bureaucracy.
When a candidate is chosen white smoke will emerge from the chimney.
Before retiring behind locked doors, the cardinals attended a special mass in St Peter's Basilica, the cardinals dressed in scarlet applauded as the Dean of the College of Cardinals praised the former pope, Benedict XVI.
Crowds outside watching the service on big screens also joined in.
Bookmakers say Italian archbishop Angelo Scola is favourite to be the next pope, ahead of Ghana's Peter Turkson and Odilo Scherer of Brazil.
Bookmakers have also been taking bets on the official name that the successor to Benedict XVI will take, with Leo, Peter and Gregory the favourites.
Irish bookmaker Paddy Power and Britain's William Hill said Scola's chances had improved dramatically and both gave the Milan archbishop odds of 9/4 to be the next pope.
The likelihood of a first African pope diminished as the once highly favoured Cardinal Turkson dropped down the betting rankings, while Cardinal Scherer leapt up the table.
In the United States, the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger Mahony and a former priest have reportedly agreed to pay more than $10 million to settle four child sex abuse cases brought against them.
The cardinal, who retired in 2011 and is now in Rome taking part in the papal election was accused of helping a confessed paedophile priest evade law enforcement by sending him away to a church-run treatment centre, then placing him back in the Los Angeles ministry.
According to a plaintiff's attorney in the case, as part of the settlement none of the parties have admitted wrongdoing.
