Conclave, Santa Marta rooms assigned by lot to the 133 cardinals

It was the Camerlengo himself, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, who drew the lots for the rooms where the 133 cardinal electors who will be seated in the Sistine Chapel from Wednesday 7 May at 4.30 p.m. for the election of the new Pope will be housed. Accommodation between the residence of Santa Marta and the adjacent old Santa Marta, because the cardinal electors in this Conclave are thirteen more than the maximum of 120 established. So some of them will go to Santa Marta vecchia.

As of the morning of Tuesday 6 May, the cardinal electors who wish to do so will be able to move into their assigned lodgings at Casa Santa Marta. There are 26 simple rooms or the mini-apartments with two rooms (there are 105 of them) in the complex where Pope Francis lived. The only sealed room remains room 201, the one Francis used for 12 years.

Absolute secrecy reigns over the Conclave. From 7 May at 4.30 p.m., the time that marks the moment of entry into the Sistine Chapel for the Conclave, the cloistered regime begins for the cardinals and all the staff. No mobile phones, no contact with the outside world. On pain of excommunication "latae sententiae", as envisaged by the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Grecis, which imposes a ban on communicating the outcome of voting, talking to the outside world, reading newspapers, listening to the radio or watching TV. A regime to which not only the cardinal electors will have to submit, but also those who come into contact with them to help them. Absolute secrecy also for those in charge of meals, cleaning, doctors, nurses, but also for the drivers who will transport the cardinals from their residence to the Apostolic Palace to return to the Sistine each day. In short, everyone, from the clergy to the laity, have sworn and signed an oath before the Camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, to maintain absolute secrecy on everything that directly or indirectly concerns the voting and the ballots for the election of Pope Francis' successor.

In order to prevent leaks from the Conclave from 3pm on 7 May, the telephone network signal will be blacked out throughout the Holy See and will only be restored after the Habemus Papam. The aim is to prevent the operation of any electronic equipment, block leaks of news about the Conclave and prevent cyber attacks. The bureau of the Governorate of Vatican City has announced that "all telecommunication signal transmission systems for cellular radiomobile present in the territory of Vatican City State will be deactivated. The signal will be restored after the announcement of the election of the Supreme Pontiff'.

For the cardinal electors there is total isolation not only inside the Sistine Chapel, but also in Santa Marta. To ensure total and effective isolation of the cardinal electors from the rest of the world, jammers, frequency jammers, have been installed to prevent mobile phones from receiving or transmitting. Special anti-drone and anti-laser spy films were also installed on the windows. Environmental sweeps against possible bugs were accompanied by the usual checks. To prevent intrusions in Santa Marta, temporary partitions and doors were also installed to avoid any 'holes' through which people could break in.