Scarlett Barter
Reporting from the Vatican

Image source, Reuters

Huge cheers from the crowd as the white smoke rises, everyone is running forward to see it.

People are jumping up and down with joy, some are praying to the sky. One couple from Greece say it’s a "once in a life time experience", adding that they will wait to see the new pope appear on the balcony.

The sound here is tremendous, the bells are ringing so loudly it’s reverberating around the square as people cheer and scream with joy.

The electing cardinals have now chosen a new pope and things will move pretty swiftly now.

Now that white smoke has appeared, the new pontiff will normally appear on the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square in the next hour.

The new pope is now being led to a small room next to the Sistine Chapel where he will put on the white papal robes.

The senior cardinal will soon confirm the decision with the words "Habemus Papam" - Latin for "we have a Pope" - and introduce the new pontiff by his chosen papal name.

Image source, Reuters

With white smoke now billowing from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel, it's clear the voting process has concluded and the cardinals have chosen a successor to Pope Francis.

We don't yet know who has been selected, but it will become clear when they emerge on the balcony of the Sistine Chapel, likely within the hour.

Stick with us and we'll let you know who it is, as soon as we have confirmation.

Hundreds of people have gathered in St Peter's Square again this afternoon to see if a new pope will be chosen today.

Hopefully those not deploying a tactical umbrella for some much-needed shade are using sun cream and a hat.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

We're anticipating the results of the fourth conclave vote at about 17:30 local time (16:30 BST), after two previous unsuccessful rounds this morning and one last night.

As a reminder, we have no way of knowing what is going on inside the Sistine Chapel. We will only know a pope has been chosen when white smoke is released from the chimney on its roof.

If this ballot is unsuccessful there will be no black smoke saying a pope has not been chosen this time. But there will be following the final vote this evening, should it also prove inconclusive.

That final vote is due at about 19:00 local time (18:00 BST).

Hit watch live at the top of the page to stream the view of the Sistine Chapel chimney.

Laura Gozzi
Reporting from the Vatican

St Peter's Square is really busy today.

There are lots of curious tourists milling about, taking selfies with the basilica and moving off to shadier parts of the city.

But many others are staying put - they've come especially to see the new pope and are camping out for the afternoon near the barriers overlooking the basilica.

Among them are Virginia and Maria Giulia, two women in their twenties who are killing time by revising for an upcoming exam while sat on the hot cobblestones under a beating sun, only partially sheltered by an umbrella. "Might as well," they laugh.

Nearby, Brennan from Philadelphia is also waiting for the chimney to start billowing smoke again. He is standing next to two plastic US flags which he just bought near the square. "It's just to represent the United States... I like to see everybody with their flags," he tells me.

Asked why he came to the Vatican, Brennan says: "Well, think about a political election – a president has a few hundred million people at most. The Catholic Church has over a billion people. So the Church getting a new leader is big."

Image source, Reuters

The 133 cardinals making up this conclave are now back inside the Sistine Chapel after stepping away for a lunch break following this morning's ballots.

They could vote twice more this afternoon - once at 17:30 local time (16:30 BST) and if no consensus is reached, again at 19:00 (18:00 BST).

A new pope requires a two-thirds majority - which translates to 89 votes this conclave - and that can take time. The average length of time for the last few conclaves was three days - and seven ballots.

If no new pope is elected today, there will be up to four more ballots tomorrow.

Each cardinal casts his vote on a simple card that says, in Latin: "I elect as Supreme Pontiff" to which they add the name of their chosen candidate.

They walk in line, in order of seniority, and place their cards inside the large silver and gilded urn.

Maryam Moshiri
Chief presenter, reporting from the Vatican

St Peter's Square looks glorious under the afternoon sun. I took a walk and talked to some of the people who have come here to see a new pope announced.

One such person is Sister Mona Lisa, originally from Brazil but living in Rome as part of the Salesian Sisters of Sacred Hearts, who spoke to me about why she has come to the Vatican to "follow the conclave and the vote".

"The vote for us is a historic moment for the church," she says.

"We don’t know who the pope will be, and we are here to say to him you are welcome, we are here for you, we are the Church and we will walk with you," the nun tells me, with a smile on her face.

There will be no social media post or official statement when the conclave chooses the next Pope.

Instead, a billowing cloud of white smoke from the chimney above the chapel where the cardinals are voting will alert the world that they have reached a decision.

The BBC's religion editor, Aleem Maqbool explains why smoke is still used to announce the results of one of the world's most secretive election.

Image source, Getty Images

Among all the excitement over the prospect of a new pope, let's take a look back at Pope Francis's time spent in the Vatican.

Progressive, compromising and humble, he was seen by many as a man of the people.

Born in Argentina, Francis was the first non-European Pope in centuries. During his papacy, he lived a simple life, rejecting the grandeur that can come with the job.

He had presented himself as a compromise candidate: appealing to conservatives with orthodox views on sexual matters, while attracting the reformers with his liberal stance on social justice.

He won the hearts of many, with thousands of mourners gathering across the world after he passed away on Easter Monday, aged 88.

Francis's funeral was held on Saturday 26 April. Politicians, celebrities, and royalty attended the event as thousands of mourners lined the streets of St Peter's Square in the Vatican.

Read more of the BBC's coverage on Pope Francis' life, death, and legacy:

• Francis was a vocal critic of the powerful, his influence felt far beyond faith
• Francis: Pope from Latin America who changed Catholic Church
• Pope Francis's life in pictures

Alicia Hernández
BBC News Mundo, reporting from the Vatican

The sun is burning in St Peter's Square. But that didn't stop hundreds of people from gathering to see the first fumata of the day.

Shouts as the first wisps began to rise quickly turned into expressions of disappointment at the sight of the black plumes.

Although many had hoped it would already be the case.

"It's still too early to have a new Pope. It's too early," Louise Cleary tells me.

She came to Rome with friends because they had a meeting today with a dicastery, a department within the Roman Curia.

The friends all come from Australia. When I ask them if they have a favourite candidate, they say no.

But one of them, Rosemary Cópela - of Italian descent - tells me she would prefer someone of that nationality.

"Although, really, what I would like is for it to be someone progressive, who follows the path that Pope Francis started.”

They all nod.

“It would be a shame if he went down a different path,” says Cópela.

"It would also be good if it were someone from Asia, like [Cardinal Luis Antonio] Tagle. It would be a change from everything we've already seen."

And although they are now leaving St Peter's Square without having seen the long-awaited white smoke, they say it's better to wait.

"It's better to choose late, but choose well," one tells me.

Many people have cleared out from St Peter's Square in the Vatican, as we have several hours to wait before the third vote of the day is due.

Before the crowds eased, people were gathered in the hundreds excitedly awaiting the smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Laura Gozzi
Reporting from the Vatican

A dapper Portuguese priest called Pedro Manuel says the experience of waiting for the smoke is "an experience of hope".

"We know we will have a pope. We just have to give the cardinals time to choose the one, but it will happen," he tells me, leaning contentedly against a barricade in the middle of sunny St Peter's Square.

"All of us, when we eventually see the man in white on the balcony, will be happy because it will be our pope. If he comes from here or there it doesn't matter," he adds with a broad smile.

"The only thing that really matters is that he is a friend of Jesus Christ."

Image source, Getty Images

Many candidates are being touted as successors to Pope Francis to lead the Catholic Church. Here's a quick look at some of the leading contenders:

• Cardinal Pietro Parolin was the Vatican's secretary of state under Pope Francis – making him the Pope's chief adviser
• Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, the first Ghanaian to be made a cardinal under Pope John Paul II in 2003, was made favourite by bookmakers ahead of voting in 2013 when Francis was instead selected
• Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu is another leading candidate, hailing from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where he has been Archbishop of Kinshasa for seven years
• Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle is tipped as a potential choice. The Catholic Church is very influential in his home country of the Philippines, where about 80% of the population is Catholic

• Cardinals Robert Prevost and Joseph Tobin, have also been mentioned numerous times as potential successors. Either of whom could become the first pope from the US

You can read more on the emerging candidates in our profile of the leading contenders to take over the papacy.

Laura Gozzi
Reporting from the Vatican

A muted roar went up from the square as soon as the black plume of smoke went up, and now people are streaming out of the square as no more smoke is expected until at least after 16:00 local time (15:00).

Watch the moment black smoke emerged above the Sistine Chapel, signalling that electing cardinals have not yet chosen a new pope.

Scarlett Barter
Reporting from the Vatican

Shouts of "smoke, smoke" were heard here in St Peter's Square as the first news from inside the Sistine Chapel emerged from the chimney a few moments ago.

People rushed forward to take pictures with their phones and to get a closer look.

Image source, Reuters

We've just seen black smoke rise from the chimneys of the Sistine Chapel - so here's some context on how long it may take to choose a successor to Pope Francis.

The last conclave, which elected Francis in 2013, lasted two days and involved five ballots.

In 2005, when Pope Benedict XVI was chosen by the assembled cardinals, the process also lasted two days and took four ballots in total, while the conclave to elect John Paul II in 1978 took three days and eight ballots.

Of the modern conclaves, ten since the beginning of the 20th century, the average length of time was three days and seven ballots.

Image source, Reuters

We can see plumes of black smoke emanating from the roof of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, so it's safe to say there is not yet a new pope.

Watch the live images from the Vatican at the top of the page.

Image source, EBU

As we've been reporting, to the outside world, the only information about how the conclave is progressing is smoke from the chapel's chimney when ballot papers are burned after each round of voting.

Black smoke signals no decision has been reached, white smoke means a new pope has been chosen.