Vatican to cut phone signal during conclave

This photograph shows a seagull on a placard with the logo of the 2025 Jubilee with the Sistine Chapel and its chimney in the background, at The Vatican, on May 5, 2025. Agence France-Presse

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican said Monday it would cut the phone signal within the tiny city state during the conclave to elect a new pope — but this would not affect St Peter’s Square.

The office of the presidency of the Governorate of the Vatican City State said that “starting from 3:00 pm (1300 GMT) on May 7, all the transmission systems of the telecommunications signal for mobile telephones present in the territory of the Vatican City State… will be deactivated”.

“The signal will be restored after the announcement of the election of the supreme pontiff,” it said in a statement.

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But the deactivation will not cover St Peter’s Square, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters.

Thousands of faithful are expected to gather in the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica to await the announcement of a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.

A total of 133 cardinals from across the globe will gather in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin voting for a new head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

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The election is carried out in utmost secrecy and the cardinals will be required to leave their mobile phones behind when they enter the conclave, Bruni said.