Catholic priest at the conclave actually has very famous brother that you will definitely recognise

Cardinals are continuing to vote in their efforts to choose a new Catholic leader following the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday (21 April).

The black smoke pouring from the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday (7 May) - which saw the group of 133 cardinal electors begin their behind-closed-doors meeting - confirmed to onlookers that no pontiff had been elected.

And now, that black smoke has once again emerged from the chimney on Thursday (8 May), indicating that there is still no pope elected after the second or third ballots in the Vatican.

Up to four rounds of voting can take place each full day of conclave, two in the morning and two in the afternoon - however, smoke is only expected up to twice a day, as ballots from two successive rounds are generally burned together if no pope is chosen in either round.

Robert Sirico is one of the 133 cardinal electors gathering to elect the 267th pope (Sky News)

A new pope requires a two-thirds majority in the voting.

One of the candidates in the voting process includes one cardinal who actually has a very famous brother, that you will most definitely recognise.

Italian-American Catholic priest (all cardinals are priests, FYI), Robert Sirico, is the younger brother of none other than the late Tony Sirico, best known for portraying Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri in The Sopranos.

He also starred in Goodfellas, A Bronx Tale, and The Godfather.

Unlike Robert, who joined the clergy and was ordained as a Paulist priest in 1989, former gangster Tony largely led a life of crime before coming a favourite of directors such as Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen, as well as The Sopranos mastermind, David Chase.

Tony dropped out of high school, was shot in the leg over a girl as a teenager, and eventually found himself serving in the US Army.

He went on to face 28 arrests on charges ranging from robbery to assault to gun possession.

In the early 1970s, he was convicted on multiple charges, including felony weapons possession, and spent 20 months in the notorious Sing Sing prison in New York.

It was after serving this sentence that Tony decided to switch paths and forge a career in Hollywood.

Gangster-turned-Sopranos-star, Tony Sirico, is the Catholic priest's late older brother (HBO)

Robert, 73, announced his brother's death aged 79 after battling with dementia back in 2022, saying: "It is with great sadness, but with incredible pride, love and a whole lot of fond memories, that the family of Gennaro Anthony 'Tony' Sirico wishes to inform you of his death on the morning of July 8, 2022."

He continued, per MailOnline: "I sensed that the end was coming. So as we sat in a private location, I pulled out a Confessional Stole from my pocket. I looked into his eyes and I said, 'How about that confession?'

"My brother agreed and I did one of the most significant things a priest can do for another human being. I absolved him of all of his sins."