How accurate is the film ‘Conclave’?

So when the black smoke came in the afternoon, most were not so surprised and they train their mobile phones on the gigantic screens that flanked the square where they could see the smoke pumping out of the chimney.

Judith Duru, 22, a nursing student in Rome from Nigeria, filmed the smoke on the screen because she could not see the real smoke from where she stood.

She said she trusted the cardinals to select a “Pope with a good heart that can take care of your people, understand your people.” Although she comes from a continent with A fast -growing Catholic populationShe said she didn’t care where the new pope came from.

“I don’t do politics and religion,” she said. “I don’t care,” where he comes from, she added. “A good pope will touch everyone.”

Before the first smoke signal of the day, Joaquín Cáceres, 30, and Lucía Pérez, 28, Argentines who live in Spain, said they had made a bet on Wednesday evening after seeing the first feather of black smoke from the Sixtine Chapel chip sort.

“He thinks this morning, on the third mood,” said Mrs. Pérez.

“She thinks this afternoon, on the fifth mood – like Francis,” said Mr Cáceres.

Although neither had a favorite competition, both said they hoped that the cardinals would like to continue Francis’s work.

“The conclave and the Holy Spirit always work in mysterious ways,” said Mrs. Pérez. “But they don’t play a deaf ear in what people say.”

The crowd on Thursday morning was certainly smaller than the many thousands of people who were present on Wednesday evening, probably because many Italians were working, but perhaps also an indication of the expectations that white smoke would come earlier in the evening. The crowd remained heavily international on Thursday morning, with flags from all over the world.

Several spectators said they were planning to stay around all day – and were prepared.

Philipp and Kathrin Wilmes, tourists from Germany, stuffed their sights in Monday and Tuesday, so that they could wait six hours on Wednesday for St. Peter’s Square to see the smoke. On Thursday Mr. Wilmes, 45, his face lubricated with sunscreen that expected a long day. He and his wife, 39, had jackets, bread and water in their backpacks because they said they were not going to go from their place against the barrier closest to the basilica. The couple had tickets to fly back to Germany on Friday and hoped for an election before that time.

Maciej Czaharyn, 33, who is Pools just lives in Iceland, spent seven hours on the square on Wednesday. “I always stood,” he said. “But it was worth the sacrifice.”

On Thursday Mr. Czahanyn a thin pillow to sit on the floor and a shopping bag filled with bottles of electrolyte drinks, chocolate cookies and cigarettes, “although you can’t smoke here,” he said.

A group of second -year students from the University of Dallas, a Catholic school, studied this year near Marino, Italy and extended their stay for the conclave. They sat on the floor in a circle and played a card game. They had a large bag of chocolate flakes and sandwich fixings.

Some Italians also found their way to St. Peter’s.

Flavia Valle, 16, who was on the Cobblestones, not far from the barrier that is closest to the Basilica, said that she and various friends skipped high school.

“I want to see the pope come out,” she said, pointing to the balcony framed by thick, red velvet curtains where the new Pontiff traditionally makes a first appearance as soon as the white smoke signals his election.

She said she was hoping for another charismatic pope in the manner of Francis. “He spoke with the boys, people my age,” she said. “I liked him.”