Why Cardinals Are Banned From Eating Ravioli During the Conclave

Why Cardinals Are Banned From Eating Ravioli During the Conclave

The conclave diet was not made with gourmands in mind.  Amid the voting to find Pope Francis’ successor, the 135 Catholic cardinals sequestered in the Vatican are not exactly having meals fit for...

Behind the tightly closed doors of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, the process of electing a new pope - the conclave - is underway. The elections are secret, and the cardinal electors are forbidden from contact with the outside world at all times. In the Casa Santa Marta, where the cardinals stay during the conclave, due to strict secrecy, no food is served in which messages could be hidden.

Why ravioli was banned from papal conclave

Ravioli and whole chickens used to be banned from conclaves.

Foods that could be used to convey secret messages, such as ravioli and whole chicken, are not on the cardinal's menu at the Santa Marta home, Mr.

Foods that could theoretically be used to convey messages in the papal conclave, such as asparagus, ravioli and baked chicken, have been excluded from the menu served at Casa Santa Marta, where...