As the Catholic Church prepares to elect a new pope following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, some cardinals have reportedly found an unlikely source of guidance: a recent Hollywood film. According to POLITICO, the 2024 movie Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, is being used by some of the 133 voting cardinals as a visual primer for the secretive papal selection process.
Directed by Edward Berger, Conclave features Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, the fictional dean of the College of Cardinals, tasked with overseeing the election amid internal power struggles, damaging leaks, and the emergence of a mysterious outsider candidate. The film was released just four months before the real-life vacancy and has drawn praise for its realistic portrayal — even from within the Church itself.
A cleric involved in the actual conclave told POLITICO that some cardinals, many of whom were appointed by Pope Francis and have never participated in a conclave before, found the film both timely and informative. With so many cardinals hailing from smaller dioceses with limited experience of Vatican politics, the dramatized events in Conclave are reportedly serving as a surprisingly helpful crash course.
The real pre-conclave environment has been no less dramatic. Media leaks, resurfaced abuse allegations, and internal rivalries have dominated headlines. One cardinal implicated in a financial scandal was barred from voting after the release of a controversial posthumous letter by Pope Francis.
As the Sistine Chapel prepares to host its next conclave, a Hollywood thriller has unexpectedly become part of the cardinals’ preparation — blending fiction with the high-stakes reality of choosing the next pope.
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