US EditionCardinal found with phone during secret conclave to elect Pope Leo, book says
A cardinal carrying a mobile phone inside the jamming-equipped Sistine Chapel delayed voting during Pope Leo XIV’s conclave, a book reveals previously unknown details.
- A new book reveals voting was delayed when an older cardinal handed over a cell phone during the conclave, which was briefly halted inside the Vatican Sistine Chapel, last year, the authors say.
- Amid a battle inside the College of Cardinals, authors Gerard O'Connell and Elisabetta Piquè reconstruct last year’s contest using interviews and diary entries, reflecting deep Vatican access.
- On the first ballot, support shifted to Cardinal Robert Prevost, the elected Pope Leo XIV, who won on the fourth ballot with 108 votes, after a ballot was repeated due to papers sticking together.
- Because Pope Francis promoted Prevost, the book reports his election as the first US-born pope signals continuity and historic firsts, according to the authors.
- Despite attacks on social media, the conclave experienced logistical quirks, including alarm clock issues and complaints about the chapel's lack of a bathroom, the book reports.
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Cardinal found with phone during secret conclave to elect Pope Leo, book says
VATICAN CITY – The secret conclave that elected Pope Leo head of the Catholic Church last May was interrupted when one of the 133 cardinals involved was found carrying a cellphone, a massive security breach, a book released on Sunday, March 1, revealed. As the clerics were preparing to take their first vote inside the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, which was fitted with jamming equipment to prevent outside communications, security officials picked up…
One of the 133 cardinals who elected the new Pope Leo XIV in April last year was caught using his mobile phone during the conclave. This was reported by two Vatican correspondents in their new book, "The Election of Pope Leo XIV." It is unclear whether the cardinal was punished for the incident.
Journalists Elisabetta Piqué and Gerald O'Connell reconstruct in a book, soon to be released in Italy, what happened behind the secret of the Sistine Chapel. According to their reconstruction, Leo XIV was elected by 108 votes
It is not clear who the cardinal was or why he had a telephone with him.
The conclave of May 2025, marked by the election of Pope Leo XIV, was disturbed by an unprecedented security flaw. A telephone was discovered in the Sistine Chapel, in the pocket of one of the assembled cardinals.
Cardinal found with phone during conclave to elect Pope Leo, book says
The secret conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV head of the Catholic Church was interrupted when one of the 133 cardinals involved was found carrying a cellphone, a massive security breach.
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