Cardinals to move into Vatican on eve of conclave

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Cardinals will on Tuesday begin moving into the Vatican accommodation where they will stay during the conclave, on the eve of their historic, secretive meeting to elect a new pope.

Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 133 cardinal electors will gather on Wednesday in the Sistine Chapel for an election that could last hours, days, or even months.

They normally stay in the Vatican's Santa Marta guesthouse, which has en-suite bathrooms and hotel-style room service, but there are not enough rooms for them all.

With representatives from 70 countries across five continents, this conclave is the largest -- and the most international -- ever.

As a result, some of the cardinals will be housed at Santa Marta Vecchia, a building next door usually used to accommodate Vatican officials.

Visitors walk at St Peter's Square with St Peter's Basilica in the background at The Vatican, taken from Rome on May 5, 2025. (AFP)

They will be able to access their rooms -- assigned by drawing lots -- between Tuesday and the mass on Wednesday morning that precedes the conclave.

The cardinals are sworn to secrecy, risking excommunication if they reveal what happens in the conclave, and are forbidden from contacting the outside world until they have a decision.

The Vatican announced late on Monday that it would cut the phone signal within the tiny city state from 3:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Wednesday until a new pope is elected -- although this will not affect St Peter's Square.

This photograph a shows a view of a mozaic portrait of late Pope Francis (C) and an empty space for the next pope to be elected in an upcoming conclave, inside of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome on April 30, 2025. (AFP)

Required to leave their mobile telephones behind when the voting process begins, the cardinals will let the world know their progress by burning their ballots to produce smoke -- black for no decision, white for a new pope.

The staff who will support them during the election, from medics to lift operators, canteen and cleaning staff, are also bound to secrecy, and took their own oaths on Monday.

The cardinal electors -- those aged under 80 -- and other, older cardinals will on Tuesday morning hold the last of their near daily preparatory meetings for the conclave.

Discussions so far have covered everything from the Vatican's finances to the abuse scandal and Church unity, and the profile of the next pope.

Francis was an energetic reformer from Buenos Aires, who helped open up the Church during his 12-year-long papacy but was accused by critics of failing to defend key Catholic doctrine.

The question now is whether his successor will follow a similar progressive line, or take the Church on a more conservative, traditionalist path.

Francis appointed around 80 per cent of the current cardinal electors, but experts caution they may not choose someone to follow in his footsteps, with many suggesting there could be surprises.