Vatican technicians end the preparation of the Sistine Chapel to receive the conclave, the secret election to define the next Pope, ensuring that what happens inside remains confidential.
On Wednesday afternoon, 133 cardinals under 80 will enter the chapel for the first vote. They will walk on a newly installed floor, high to provide a platform to the altar, which is several steps higher than the rest of the chapel.
The version of what may be under this temporary floor, in addition to wiring for electricity and sound systems, depends on the Vatican employee.
There may be – or not – signal lock devices. These artifacts may also be close to the upper windows of the chapel, which are at a height of about 20 meters.
Other security measures to ensure that no one is spying or trying to get information include movie the window to block special drone cameras and tiles to block signs of cell phones, which are prohibited anyway.
In the last conclave in 2013, it was widely released that a Faraday cage had been installed. These devices can increase the safety of communications by protecting them against electromagnetic fields.
On Monday (5), the office of the Governor of the Vatican City sent a note addressed to the “Dear Customers” informing that the cell phone towers will be disabled at 15h, local time (10am Brasília) on Wednesday (7) and will remain off until the name of the new Pope is announced.
The city-state, however, is surrounded by Rome, and it is unclear whether the Vatican is taking any measure to block connections with the telephone towers outside their walls.
Protected cardinals “at all times”
The cardinals will be housed at Santa Marta’s residence, which has about 130 rooms, and in an older adjacent residence.
Santa Marta’s main residence was released from its guests and residents last week so that the security team could electronically sweep the area.
The main door has been closed and a sign was placed informing the cardinals to use a side entrance to the left, according to a recent guest who spoke on anonymous condition.
Wi-Fi signals inside the residence were significantly weaker than normal on Monday, according to that person.
Another source, a former Vatican employee, said the city-state has its own systems to detect drones and receives regular Italy assistance.
The Gendarmes – a kind of police – from the Vatican and the Swiss guards will escort the buses that will carry the cardinals between the residence and the chapel. If they wish, the prelates will be able to walk a distance, bypassing the back of St. Peter’s Basilica.
“A protective envelope will be created around cardinals all the time,” said a source familiar with some of the safety procedures. “If they decide to walk the gardens or smoke outside, no one can approach them,” he added.
The assistants, including priests, cooks, janitors, drivers and other attendants, have already taken an oath to “observe absolute and perpetual confidentiality” about everything they see or hear.
The penalty for not maintaining the secret will be the automatic excommunication of the church.
This content was originally published in Conclave: See Mounted Scheme to maintain confidentiality in the Sistine Chapel on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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