The Vatican announced on Tuesday that mobile phone signals within its territory will be cut off during the conclave to elect a new pope. The restriction, effective from 3 p.m. on May 7, will not affect St. Peter’s Square, where thousands of faithful are expected to gather.
According to a statement from the Office of the Presidency of the Governorate of the Vatican City State, all mobile telecommunications systems within the city-state will be deactivated and will remain so until the new pope is announced.
The conclave follows the death of Pope Francis on April 21. A total of 133 cardinals from around the world will assemble in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin voting for his successor. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote.
The election process is conducted in strict secrecy. Voting cardinals began checking into two Vatican guesthouses on Tuesday, where they will be isolated from external contact. Mobile phones are not permitted during the conclave.
Although speculation is growing, there is no clear front-runner. “I have no guess,” said Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., describing the process as “profound and mysterious” in a comment to Reuters.
Some cardinals are seeking a pope who will continue Francis’ progressive reforms, while others prefer a return to traditional Catholic doctrine. The conclave is expected to last several days, with multiple rounds of voting until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority.
This conclave is set to be the most geographically diverse in the Church’s history, with participants from 70 countries. Pope Francis had prioritized appointing cardinals from underrepresented regions, including Haiti, South Sudan, and Myanmar.
Notably, the 23 cardinals from Asia may vote as a bloc. “We Asians are probably more unanimous in supporting one or two candidates,” Japanese Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi told La Repubblica, contrasting their unity with the more fragmented European voting patterns.
The outcome remains uncertain, but anticipation is high as the Catholic world awaits the emergence of a new leader for its 1.4 billion followers.
Nzubechukwu Eze.
