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All mobile phone signals will be deactivated in the Vatican on Wednesday, ahead of the top-secret conclave to elect the next Pope, Italian state media reported.
The Vatican also plans to use signal jammers around the Sistine Chapel to prevent any electronic surveillance or outside communication during the conclave, where 133 cardinals will vote for the successor to Pope Francis, who will lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
Mobile phone signals will be cut off at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) on Wednesday, an hour and a half before cardinals head to the Sistine Chapel to begin the papal conclave, Italian state broadcaster RAI reported on Monday.
All 133 cardinals who will take part in the vote to elect Francis' successor have now arrived in Rome, the Vatican confirmed on Monday.
For centuries, the leader of the Catholic Church has been elected in a highly secretive meeting known as a “conclave” — a word that in Latin means “with a key” — which refers to the historical practice of cardinals being locked away until they could elect a new pope. The process the cardinals follow to choose the next pope is elaborate and has its roots in the Middle Ages.
Cardinals will hand over their phones and all electronic devices starting Tuesday and will not pick them up again until after the conclave ends, a Vatican spokesman said.
Starting Wednesday, the cardinals will be locked in the Sistine Chapel, completely isolated from the outside world. All will be in a strict isolation regime and sworn to respect "absolute and perpetual secrecy."
The deactivation of the signal will not affect St. Peter's Square, where the public usually gathers, according to the spokesman. However, security measures have been increased throughout the square, with checkpoints at the entrance and the installation of metal detectors and anti-drone systems, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported.
The Sistine Chapel will be under total lockdown during the conclave to guarantee absolute secrecy. Even during the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, signal jammers were installed to stop any calls, messages or internet access.
The electricians, plumbers and elevator operators who will ensure the functioning of the Vatican during the conclave will also take an oath to maintain secrecy.
"All take an oath and will be in full-time service, staying overnight in the Vatican, without any contact with their families," a statement from the Governor of Vatican City State said.
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