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

Black smoke rises from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, meaning that cardinals did not elect a new pope on the first day of the conclave.

The conclave to select the next pope has begun after Catholic cardinals from across the world filed into the Sistine Chapel Wednesday before sealing themselves inside.