The Vatican behind-the-scenes, as you can imagine, has eyes on this upcoming electoral conclave post-pope-death. This very important event is set to take place about 20 days later. The Vatican has acted aggressively to safeguard the integrity and confidentiality of its proceedings. They didn’t just adopt draconian rules to address what they saw as a huge threat from emerging technology. This would be a dramatic change in the approach that the small city-state has taken to manage its security. Covering only 0.44 square kilometers, it currently faces an existential crossroads.
In light of these unprecedented challenges presented by rapid technological progress, the Vatican has taken important steps. For the first time since the 2005 conclave, cell phones will be rigorously banned from the premises. Plan signal jammers as they’re activated in the neighborhoods that cardinals live in and vote. This approach prevents unauthorized communication technologies from transmitting data. It makes certain that all discussions preceding the election of the new pope are held in secret.
Vigilance Against Technological Intrusions
Even as the Gendarmerie corps continues to proudly serve in front of St. With an estimated 200,000 people attending recent conclaves, protecting the proceedings has never been more challenging. British authorities have stepped up inspections of buildings to expose unauthorized microphones and cameras. They’re using cutting-edge technology to physically disrupt any devices that are trying to communicate through radio frequency interference.
Along with pre-event inspections, law enforcement would do secondary checks on all people with permits. Combined with the imposing NDA, this rigorous vetting process is intended to remove all risk of any security leakage. They’ll black out the windows with spray paint or opaque film. This will keep journalists, satellites, or drones from taking pictures of the inside and increase the conclave’s mystery.
Strict Penalties for Breaching Secrecy
In fact the Vatican has set some pretty severe punishments for anyone that breaks this secrecy during the conclave. Anyone found in violation to these strictures can be excommunicated or imprisoned. This is illustrative of just how serious the Vatican is taking confidentiality in these specific cases. So we take very seriously the need to protect the integrity of all parties and the process. Meanwhile, we maintain impenetrable secrecy as we prepare for this very important undertaking.
To strengthen its security, the Vatican had surveilled its streets with 650 cameras from an underground command center until 2018. Although this surveillance system is gone, the dedication to protecting the conclave continues to be strong. The Vatican, for its part, is committed to producing a very controlled space. Its massive advance work shows how serious this transformational period in the capital city’s history is.
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