Watch Live: Congressional Hearing on IRS Scandal

Live BlazeCast at 2pm ET: All the fireworks from the IRS Hearing!

Faith

What Security Measures Have Been Implemented to Prevent ‘Vatileaks’ During Papal Conclave?

Mar. 11, 2013 1:35pm Liz Klimas

Security will be high in the whole of Vatican City and Rome for the meeting of Catholic cardinals to choose a new pope beginning Tuesday. But the Sistine Chapel itself where the College of Cardinals will meet is getting specialized “anti-leak” technology as well.

As a report by Reuters put it, the pressure is on for this conclave to choose a new Bishop of Rome without any “Vatileaks,” a reference to the documents leaked by the butler of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who announced his resignation due to age earlier this year.

Security Tight for Papal Conclave and Expected Popes Installation

An assistant carries equipment before a meeting on the eve of the start of a conclave on March 11, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals will hold a final set of meetings on Monday before they are locked away to choose a new pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church through troubled times. (Photo: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

AFP reported that measures to ensure the decision of who will be Pope Benedict’s successor is secret until white smoke emerges from the Sistine Chapel’s window include a system that jams electronic signals. The room is also being swept for bugs prior to the cardinals being locked inside. Even the moisture control system is being removed temporarily in case of bugs, AFP reported.

Although the cardinals will not be permanently locked in the room until a final decision is reached — they now have more luxurious individual accommodations at night — AFP noted that they will not have access to radios, television, newspapers or other modes of communication.

Swiss guard arrive at the Vatican on March 11, 2013 on the eve of the conclave. (Photo: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

As for security outside the event with the influx of tourists, thousands of extra police are on call. Some will be flying on helicopters, others will be gliding on the Tiber River on motorized rubber dinghies. Bomb-sniffing dogs will poke their noses down manholes and trash bins in security sweeps along the routes that both VIPs and faithful will cover en route to the square.

Police gather near to the entrance to Vatican City on March 11, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

As soon as the installation (when the pope is formally installed) date is known, some 500 Civil Protection volunteers, many of them ready to hop on Segways, will receive phone calls to spring into action. They know the drill for the big day: They’ll report to Rome’s main train station and the subway stop closest to the Vatican before dawn, helping like good shepherds to channel the flock along designated streets, closed to traffic, that lead to St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican’s own security force, known as the gendarmerie, is in charge of the crowd inside the square and Italian police handle crowd control just outside the Vatican’s boundaries. Security officers from both forces included plainclothes agents dressed up as pilgrims and tourists, listening to the chatter in the square and watching for any unusual movements.

Planning for the moment when the next pope is proclaimed to the world, and for the installation ceremony a few days later, is a big-time guessing game. And that adds up to an ungodly logistical headache for the city of Rome. Nearly everything went smoothly for Benedict s last public appearances, although some faithful panicked during the retired pope s penultimate Sunday blessing from his studio window, when thousands of last-minute arrivals tried to squeeze through three narrow openings through a metal fence ringing the edge of the square. (Photo: AP/Gregorio Borgia)

Giammario Nardi, who is organizing events in Rome, said the city does not yet know the installation date but speculation in the media is that it would be held on March 17. This date poses problematic for some of Rome’s existing events including a marathon and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

If the installation falls on marathon day, the race will go ahead but re-routed away from the Vatican. The marathon’s start will also be put off until early afternoon, when presumably the new pope, pilgrims and Romans will be eating lunch. A main Rome boulevard usually on the marathon route will be fenced off so limousines can whisk VIPs straight to St. Peter’s Square without dodging pedestrians – or marathon runners.

Thousands of Irish rugby fans are also expected in Rome because Ireland plays Italy the day before in the Six Nations tournament.

Nardi told the Associated Press that as for the type of crowd the installation could bring in, it varies based on the nationality and “charisma” of who is chosen as pope.

“The election of an Italian pope or a foreign pope will mean, as pilgrims go, different numbers and different types,” he said.

Watch this report regarding the candidates and issues that might favor one over the other:

–

Related:

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(H/T: Gizmodo)

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

Back to The Blaze »

Comments (22)

dnewton
Posted on March 12, 2013 at 12:54pm
It is my understanding that one of the major differences between the Catholic and Protestant belief systems is on the infallibility of the Pope. If the Pope is infallible, why not let the old living Pope pick the next Pope. Would that not be a safer way of doing things? It looks like the successor is in the unsteady judgement of a well meaning mob.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
garbagecanlogic
Posted on March 12, 2013 at 10:24am
Goes to show how corrupt the Catholic Church has gotten if they have to take measures. Oh yeah – I am Catholic.

Praise Be To Obama. Psalm 109:8

The U.N. Out Of The U.S.
The U.S. Out Of The U.N.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- by faith
  Posted on March 12, 2013 at 10:43am
  Jesus did many thing in secret, was he corrupt too?
  
  When you vote, did you do so in public, or did you go behind a curtain and cast your vote?
  Why does th eword secret scare you so much?
  
  “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
  
  Report this comment
- by faith
  Posted on March 12, 2013 at 10:44am
  BTW nice prayer for the death of the President and his family.
  
  You sound like a really good Catholic
  
  Report this comment
badge02812
Posted on March 12, 2013 at 10:03am
Security Measures??
Make sure no one sees the Vienna Boys Choir being ushered into the Conclave.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- by faith
  Posted on March 12, 2013 at 10:39am
  One day you will hear those slanderous words again
  
  Report this comment
by faith
Posted on March 12, 2013 at 9:27am
Remember when Jesus said:
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
How many times does Jesus say: “tell no one” or “see that no one knows about it” or “see that you tell no one”

Ooooo scary secrets.

You are not Catholic, so therefore the Pope has no effect on your life or your faith. But your hate is strong enough to post ignorance about something you don’t understand

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Will-db
Posted on March 12, 2013 at 4:40am
Yup, just what the Catholic Church needs. More secrecy. It gets to the point where whenever the Catholic Church does something behind closed doors, you assume something truly unsavoury is going on, or being discussed.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
SquidVetOhio
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 5:03pm
Hey, remember when the apostles all got together in secret to vote Peter their new leader and then started a fire to let the other poor shlubs know who they should swear feality to? Yea, me niether…..

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Locked
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 2:01pm
I don’t know who coined the term “Vatileaks,” but it sounds more like a reference to sex scandals than to information leaks about the next pope. Imagine the comments if the headline says “Catholic church is plugging all holes to prevent Vatileaks!”

Schoolyard humor aside, does anyone besides gamblers really care? All the Catholics I’ve spoken with seem pretty disinterested; none of them think there will be much change no matter who is selected.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
13th Imam
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 1:54pm
Bradley Manning was stripped of his Stars and Stripes Press Credentials.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
civilwarcometh
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 1:49pm
Sorry but i don’t care about or support people who covered up child molestation and protected the molesters……

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Mapache
  Posted on March 11, 2013 at 2:06pm
  Then don’t. No need to make a federal case about it.
  
  Report this comment
- civilwarcometh
  Posted on March 11, 2013 at 2:15pm
  MAPACHE That’s what the church said to.
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on March 11, 2013 at 3:40pm
  The percentage of protestant ministers that abuse children is the same as Catholics.
  
  http://dannimoss.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/protestant-clergy-abuse-equals-or-exceeds-catholic-clergy-abuse/
  
  Report this comment
- Locked
  Posted on March 12, 2013 at 9:43am
  @East
  
  I’ve actually heard the amount is larger, by about 3 times over (granted, it was from an article written by a Catholic priest, so the source should be considered). I think the thing to keep in mind is that not only is the sexual abuse bad, it’s the fact that it was known throughout the hierarchy of the church and went unreported to authorities. Ratzinger himself knew directly of some of the abuse and failed to report it back in the 1980s. That’s what’s horrifying to a lot of people – this wasn’t isolated sects like in Protestant denominations, but a global, system work by the senior members of the Catholic hierarchy in protecting priests, not their victims.
  
  Of course a lot of criticism is just anti-Catholic sentiment.
  
  Report this comment
pap pap
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 1:45pm
Politics in the US is horrendous and the Vatican is political too. Both the US Government and the Vatican should be above politics and should be for the good of the Country or Religion, respectively.

This leak junk is everywhere because we don’t have responsible representation. Anyone who leaks should be removed.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- civilwarcometh
  Posted on March 11, 2013 at 1:57pm
  Ted Cruz. Senator Ted Cruz, who is of Cuban descent, attended the annual Cuba-Democracy PAC luncheon in Miami along with Senator Marco Rubio and gave one of the most profound smack-downs of Fidel Castro’s reign-of-terror that I have ever heard.
  
  Cruz said that, “hopefully, in the not too distant future, Fidel Castro and Raul Castro will join Hugo Chavez, and all three will face the ultimate judgment.” Cruz later referred to Fidel Castro and Che Guevara as “murderous thugs” of the past and the present day.
  
  Report this comment
Stoic one
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 1:44pm
MMmmm God-speed

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Sargeking
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 1:43pm
This isn’t rocket science. There won’t be an American or an African Pope. NEVER. The odds are on the guy from Austria. The Latin pick is a long shot. Regardless, nothing will ever change in the precepts of the Church of Rome. That has been etched in the stone walls of the Catacombs, ever since Papal Authority was lost after the Dark Ages.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
mcsledge
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 1:40pm
Man’s process for electing a world wide Church leader. If it were God’s process and all involved were filled with the Spirit of God, the selection would be unanimous on the first vote (i.e., 100%, not 67%).

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- by faith
  Posted on March 12, 2013 at 10:59am
  Jesus chose 12 men.
  One denied him, one handed him over to be killed and all deserted him.
  But you want 115 men to agree 100%, ridiculous.
  
  “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”
  
  Report this comment

It appears that you have Javascript Disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser preferences for a better user experience on TheBlaze. You can not comment without Javascript enabled.