Conclave: A Look at Security Around the Secretive Election Process
The cardinals have gathered. The windows are closed. The doors are sealed. And a conclave in Vatican City is once again underway.
The conclave is one of the most secretive processes that takes place in the world. At 4:30 p.m. local time today, 133 cardinals walked into the Sistine Chapel where they will be sequestered for the 26th time. They will be cut off from the outside world, electronically and physically, to limit influence on the process until they reach a two-thirds majority to support a candidate to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
Interest in the conclave process may be at an all-time high this year, due in part to Pope Francis’ popularity and the Hollywood interpretation of the event—also called Conclave—which many experts say accurately depicted many of the traditions involved in the election.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, gave the homily at a public mass in Vatican City this morning and referenced the important succession plan about to take place.
“The election of the new pope is not a simple succession of persons, yet it is always the Apostle Peter who returns,” Re said. “The cardinal electors will cast their votes in the Sistine Chapel, the place, as the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominci Gregisstates, ‘where everything is conductive to an awareness of the presence of God, in whose sight each person will one day be judged.’”
Vatican City will take the unusual step, in our modern times, of deactivating cellphone service within its territory for the entirety of the conclave. Security efforts inside the city will be led by the Swiss Guard, which has protected the pope and his residence since 1506. The Vatican’s Gendarmerie Corps, led by Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti, will be responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the conclave itself.
The religious connotations, the visibility of the role of the pope, and the major gathering to await the results mean that screening, monitoring, planning, and coordination between specialized operations units is critically important, says Ty Richmond, president of event services at Allied Universal.
“This is truly a very comprehensive, integrated approach, to the systems and processes and resources that are focused on securing and ensuring continuity,” Richmond explains. “The continuity of this event is as important as the security of the individuals and persons involved.”
Allied Universal is not providing a direct role in supporting security efforts of the conclave, but Richmond says that many of the practices will be similar to major events that the company has worked on in the past, including the funeral of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
“The intelligence apparatus around the event itself, and the combination of public-private sector coordination, will be extensive—very similar to the pope’s funeral when you had VIP type, dignitary type, security and protection” Richmond adds. “Those same measures will obviously be in place, as well as anti-terrorism and anti-sabotage units that are focused on ensuring that you have continuity and that you have protection of infrastructure.”
Roman Catholic cardinals have begun the task of electing a new pope, locked away from the world until they choose the man they hope can unite a diverse but divided global Church. Follow Reuters live coverage: https://t.co/rtEKchsGx7
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 7, 2025
Anti-sabotage units are the part of the security apparatus that monitors, secures, and protects infrastructure-related resources—like electricity and power—from kinetic and cyber threats that could disrupt the conclave or cause the general public to panic. During a major event, like the conclave, anti-sabotage is as important as anti-terrorism efforts to ensure the continuity of the event, Richmond says.
“There is no doubt that the religious connotations associated with picking the pope, and what the pope represents globally, magnifies this risk,” Richmond says. “It magnifies the exposure, and it magnifies the impact of the event if it does not occur with confidence and positively meeting the objective of the event.”
A threat assessment from Flashpoint that was shared with Security Management did not identify any specific or credible physical or cyber threats to the conclave.
The analysis did, however, highlight that the heightened global geopolitical landscape “increases the general threat of lone-wolf attacks targeting public gatherings.” Some of those heightened tensions stem from conflict zones around the world, including Ukraine.
“The presence of cardinals from regions directly affected by these conflicts, such as Cardinal Mykola Bychok from Ukraine, adds a layer of complexity to security planning as these individuals may be targeted by lone-wolf actors or protest groups,” according to Flashpoint’s analysis.
The high-profile nature of the event is likely to attract large crowds to the area, including the public and media representatives reporting on the conclave, which raises concerns of vehicle ramming attacks.
“Gates and other barriers surrounding St. Peter’s Square are in place to prevent such incidents, though there is a precedent for attempted forced entry,” Flashpoint reported. “In 2023, a vehicle was able to force its way through a gate at the Vatican before being disabled by gendarmes stationed nearby.”
Additionally, to limit the threat that new technology poses to the secrecy of the process—such as satellite and drone monitoring—the Vatican will use signal jammers, conduct security sweeps for unauthorized devices, and apply privacy film over windows.
“The Vatican’s cybersecurity division has ramped up digital shielding using encrypted messaging protocols, endpoint monitoring tools, air-gapped systems, and AI-driven surveillance to detect and neutralize threats before they manifest,” Flashpoint said. “The conclave operates in a strictly offline environment, effectively isolating it from potential cyber intrusions.”
The cardinals are expected to conduct their first vote this evening. They will write the name of their preferred candidate on a piece of paper, that will be collected, tallied, and then burned to send a smoke signal to the outside world of the result. Black smoke means the cardinals have not reached a consensus. White smoke means a new pope has been chosen. The pope will then likely appear on a balcony in St. Peter’s Square to greet the faithful and the public.
How long the conclave lasts can vary greatly. Pope Gregory the X took two years and two months to elect, while Pope Julius II took just a few hours to select.
“The duration of the conclave for late Pope Francis was relatively short: he was elected on March 13, 2013, after just five rounds in under two days, according to Vatican News.
