17:41 BST
Alicia Hernández
BBC News Mundo, in Vatican City
Image source, EPAMany believers, tourists, curious onlookers, and press from
around the world are gathered at this hour in St Peter’s Square awaiting the
first smoke.
A group of Italian civil protection workers ask me, curious,
to zoom in with my camera on the chimney where the white or black smoke will be
visible – depending on whether a new pope has been elected or not.
“We know the new pope won’t be known today; we’re
anxiously awaiting for him, but we know it won’t happen yet,” one of them
tells me.
Another one says his favourite is Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin: “I want it to
be Parolin. He’s been a very good cardinal.”
The third one replies: “I prefer Omella, the one from
your country,” referring to Juan José Omella, cardinal of Spain.
“But for now, we have to wait,” they tell me.