As conclave begins, it’s business as usual at the Vatican … sort of

VATICAN CITY — In Rome, the conclave is the talk of the town: from speculation over a morning espresso about who will be the next pope to taxi drivers complaining about how roadblocks have made their work even more difficult.

However, along the immense walls surrounding the Vatican, it was business as usual May 7 as hundreds of tourists joined the long line, which stretched around the corner of the wall, waiting to enter the Vatican Museums.

According to its website, the Vatican Museums continued its normal schedule. However, tourists have limited access to the museums’ treasures.

“Notice is hereby given that the Sistine Chapel will be closed to the public from Monday, April 28, 2025, for the requirements of the Conclave,” a pop-up on the museum homepage read. “All tours of the Vatican Gardens and the Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis are also suspended.”

Vatican employees also needed to adapt their schedules and plan ahead to reach their offices, visit the duty-free shop or fill their fuel tanks from the Vatican’s tax-free gas pump.

Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist Raffaella Petrini, president of the office governing Vatican City State, issued a notice the day before the conclave, May 6, informing employees of areas that will be closed off when the cardinals make their way from the Domus Sanctae Marthae residence to the Apostolic Palace for the conclave.

“Starting today, at 6 p.m., all access to the San Damaso Courtyard will be closed and sealed off,” Petrini wrote. “The Secretariat of State and other offices located in the Apostolic Palace will only be accessible using the elevator located in the Belvedere Courtyard.”

The notice went on to inform employees and residents which streets to use to access apartments, the offices of the Vatican bank, the Prefecture of the Papal Household and the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See. Doors and entryways along the paths the cardinals might take to and from the Sistine Chapel were sealed May 7.

Vatican residents and employees wanting to buy the latest tech or fashion accessories from the Vatican’s duty-free department store, as well as those needing to fill up their cars or mopeds with tax-free gasoline will have to work around closing times during the hours cardinals are expected to travel between their residence and the Sistine Chapel.

A separate notice issued by Petrini’s office also announced that “all mobile telecommunications signal transmitters within Vatican City — excluding the area of Castel Gandolfo — will be deactivated starting at 3 p.m. local time May 7.”

To protect the secrecy of the conclave, Vatican technicians conducted a sweep of the Sistine Chapel to ensure there were no hidden cameras or recording bugs, and they confiscated mobile phones from the cardinals and staff assisting them. The jamming signal around the chapel and the surrounding area added a further layer of protection to prevent communication with the outside world.

“Signal service will be restored as soon as possible following the official announcement of the election of the new pope, delivered from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Restoration timing will depend on mobile network technology capabilities,” the office said.