A plume of smoke—by all appearances, black in hue—is arising
from a Vatican rooftop at 11:40 a.m. in Rome (6:40 a.m. Boston
time). That would suggest the 115 cardinals cloistered in the
Sistine Chapel have yet to decide on a successor to Pope
Benedict XVI.  The morning session of the conclave was expected
to continue till noon in Rome, so the cardinals appear to have
wrapped up earlier than scheduled. They will now take a four-
hour break before resuming their prayerful deliberations.