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    Radio jammers in the Sistine Chapel will protect secrecy of papal election

    Radio jammers in the Sistine Chapel will protect secrecy of papal election

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    sistine chapel SHUTTER STOCK
    sistine chapel SHUTTER STOCK

    In light of document leaks during Pope Benedict's reign, the Sistine Chapel has been locked down to increase security while voting for the next pope begins on Tuesday, reports Reuters. Electronic jammers have been installed beneath a false floor to block any escaping radio signals, and both the chapel and the cardinals' guesthouses will be swept with anti-bugging scanners to detect the presence of any hidden microphones.

    For cardinals electing the new pope, most technology and outside contact is banned. According to Reuters, the use of any device to record or transmit data is forbidden within the conclave, and cardinals are not allowed to communicate to the outside world without special permission. Television, radio, and all news is prohibited in the conclave during voting, and Vatican security will require all personnel to be scanned by metal detectors before entering the area surrounding the Chapel. But not all of the precautions are high-tech: when entering the chapel, each cardinal will be required to swear an old-fashioned oath of secrecy.