How to ready the conclave so as to keep cardinals sheltered

In an interview with Vatican media, engineer Silvio Screpanti, deputy director of the infrastructure department within the Vatican City State, detailed the work underway to prepare for the conclave scheduled to begin on the afternoon of May 7, 2025.

Around 40 Vatican employees, including carpenters, blacksmiths, fitters, florists, and cleaning staff, are working alongside around 20 external contractors to complete the work in a matter of days.

The preparations, explains Screpanti, mainly involve organizing the cardinals' accommodation. This task is more complex this time around, as the number of participants is expected to be 133 — compared to 115 in 2013 — and the Santa Marta residence only has 126 rooms.

In addition to the Santa Marta residence, technicians have had to refurbish rooms in adjacent buildings – the “old Santa Marta house” and the Ethiopian College – providing floor plans and furnishing the rooms with beds, bedside tables, and closets.

A total of 200 rooms are planned for the cardinal-electors and the staff accompanying them.

It was also necessary to “study a layout for the Sistine Chapel that could accommodate the largest number of voters (in history) while ensuring compliance with protocol and the comfort of the participants,” said the deputy director.

The famous stoves used to produce black or white smoke after the votes have been installed and “smoke tests” have already been carried out “discreetly.”

In addition, a floating floor must be laid to level the floor. The tables for the cardinal electors and support staff will then be set up.

The Vatican is planning several measures to ensure complete confidentiality during the conclave: blacking out the windows of the apostolic palace in the conclave areas, deactivating all technological and detection devices in the Sistine Chapel, affixing 80 lead seals on all access points to the conclave perimeter, installing partitions and temporary doors, and closing certain windows ” to prevent anyone from looking in” and ensuring the isolation of the cardinals.

During the conclave, five electricians and elevator operators, five heating and plumbing engineers, and two florists will be present.

"They will take an oath and be on duty full time, spending the nights in the Vatican, without being able to have any contact with their families," said the engineer.

One of the experts will remain in a small technical room near the Sistine Chapel for the duration of the vote, with a remote control for the electronic stove, “ready to intervene quickly if necessary.”

At the same time, florists prepare the decorations for the loggia of the Hall of Blessings, from where the future pontiff will address his first greeting to the people gathered in St. Peter's Square.

After the conclave, the technicians will not waste any time: the Sistine Chapel and all the accommodations will be quickly dismantled to allow the Vatican Museums to reopen and the residents of Santa Marta, who had to give up their rooms, to return.

Then of course, preparations will be made for the installation Mass of the new head of the Catholic Church.

Watch the Sistine Chapel preparations below!