Conclave: How Vatican dey keep dia papal vote secret

Dis na di most secretive election in di world.

Wen di133 Catholic cardinals go lock demsef inside di Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to choose one successor to Pope Francis, all of dem go swear oath wit bible to keep di details secret for life.

Di same rule go apply to every pesin inside di Vatican during di conclave: from di two doctors on hand for any emergency, to di dining-room staff wey go feed di cardinals. All vow to observe "absolute and perpetual secrecy".

Just to make sure say nothing go come out, dem go search di chapel and di two guesthouses well-well for microphones and bugs.

"Dem get electronic jammers to make sure say phone and wi-fi signals no dey enta or comot," na wetin John Allen, di editor of Crux news site tok.

"Di Vatican dey take di idea of isolation very seriously."

Total lockdown

Di famous lockdown no dey only about keeping di voting process itself secret: stopping "jaguda forces" from attempting to hack am for information or to disrupt tins.

Di measures na also to make sure say di men in red dey totally separated from di outside world and dem no go dey influenced as dem dey prepare to vote.

Catholics go tell you say di election na God dey guide dem, no be politics. But di hierarchy no dey take chances.

As dem enta di conclave, evri body go surrender all electronic devices including phones, tablets and smart watches. Di Vatican get dia own police to enforce di rules.

"Di logic na trust but verify," John Allen tok.

"No televisions, no newspapers or radio for di guesthouse for di conclave – nothing," na so Monsignor Paolo de Nicolo tok, im be di head of di Papal household for three decades.

"You no fit even open di windows becos many rooms get windows wey dey face outside."

Dem check evri body wey dey behind di high Vatican walls for di conclave well-well. Even wit all di checks, dem ban dem from communicating wit electors.

"Di cardinals no fit communicate," na so Ines San Martin of di Pontifical Mission Societies for US tok.

"Dem go just dey use walkie-talkies for some specific circumstances like, 'we need medic,' or 'Hey, we don elect di Pope, make somebody tell di bell-ringers for di Basilica.'"

So wat if pesin break di rules?

"Dem take oath, and those wey no observe am risk ex-communication," Msgr De Nicolo explain say, e mean exclusion from di church. "Nobody fit try am."

Cardinal hunting

Dis na different mata bifor di conclave start.

Officially, di cardinals dey banned to tok even now. But di moment dem bury Pope Francis, parts of di Italian press and many visitors turn to cardinal-hunters, to try suss out im most likely successor.

Dem dey go di tourist-filled restaurants and gelato joints around Vatican, to prepare diaself to speculate on any sightings and possible alliances.

"Wine and Rigatoni: di Cardinals' Last Suppers", na one headline for La Repubblica wey describe di "princes of di church" as dem dey enjoy "good Roman lunch" bifor lockdown.

Reporters dey ask waiters about wetin dem hear.

"Nothing," one of di servers for Roberto, a couple of streets back from St Peter, na wetin dem tell me dis week.

"Dem always dey quiet anytime we dey close."

Di oda prime spot to catch cardinal na beside di Basilica itself, next to di curve of columns wey face di main square. Evri morning cameras and reporters dey lookout for di men wey dey wear lace and scarlet robes.

Close to 250 cardinals dey inside di city, dem call dem hia from all ova di world, although those wey don reach 80 or ova no dey eligible to vote.

As dem dey go Vatican for dia daily congregations to discuss di election, each of dem dey surrounded and dem dey bombard dem wit kwesions on progress.

Dem no dey tok anytin wey pass di "need for unity" or assurance say di conclave go dey short.

Di outside world

"Di whole idea na for dis to be a religious decision, no be political one," Ines San Martin explain. "We say make di Holy Spirit guide di conversation and di vote."

But di Pope na head of one ogbonge wealthy institution wey get significant moral authority and global power on eviritin from conflict resolution to sexual politics.

So di man wey dem go choose– and im vision and priorities – mata far beyond di Vatican.

Certain Catholic monarchs bin get power on di election up until 1907. Today, voices from all quarters try to influence di debate – most obviously through tori pipo.

At one point, Rome Il Messaggero bin criticize one presumed front-runner, Italian Cardinal Parolin, for "a sort of self-candidacy".

Den one video clip of Filipino Cardinal Tagle wey bin dey sing John Lennon Imagine, apparently wey dem release to dent im popularity. Go viral instead.

Meanwhile, one book wey highlight some potential contenders dey make wake, praising conservatives like Cardinal Sarah of Guinea for condemning di "contemporary evils" of abortion and di "same-sex agenda".

"Some groups dey town wey dey try to bang di drum on issues of interest for dem," John Allen tok. "Di cardinals dey aware of dis kain tin, dem dey read di papers. But dem go evri tin to block am out."

"Lobbies dey go on? Yes, just like for every election," Ines San Martin agree. "But e no dey as loud as I bin think say e go be."

She argue say na partly becos Pope Francis bin appoint so many new cardinals, including from new places.

"Fifty or sixty percent of dem no even know one anoda. So even if you be outside group, wey dey try to get agenda, e dey very hard even to pick your cardinals to begin wit."

Dem go lock up

By Wednesday morning, all di electors go take dia place inside di Vatican – dem go drop dia phones and lock up from di rest of di world.

From den on John Allen believe say personal preference go dominate ova politics, liberal or conservative factions or di "rattle and hum of public debate".

"I really feel say di cardinals' discussions among themselves right now dey key," Ines San Martin agree. "A lot of dem dey speaking up for di first time. You no go ever know just how inspiring one of dem fit be."