With Pope Francis’ death on Easter Monday, the next step is to elect a new pope, which is an extensive and secretive process.
Known as the conclave, parts of it remain a mystery to the public, but the media can give us an idea of it.
The movie Conclave, while fictional, does a deep dive into this highly secretive operation, a pulls back the curtain for the broader public on the real-life process.
Find out where to watch Conclave, its plot, and how similar it is to the real-life election process for a new Pope below.
What is Conclave about?
Conclave follows Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), who is tasked with selecting a new Pope.
As the most powerful global leaders from the Catholic Church gather to assist in this process, the fictional cardinal discovers a trail of secrets that could unravel the Church’s foundations.
The political thriller is directed by Edward Berger and based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Robert Harris. It was published three years into Pope Francis’ reign.
The 2024 film won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, two BAFTAs, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics Choice Award. It also stars John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini.
Speaking to The New York Times before its release, Edward said not everything was known about the election process for a new Pope, which gave “license to interpret and invent”.
“It’s not necessarily the truth, but it resembles your interpretation of the truth, and ideally, I can take you on that journey and have you be engaged,” he said of Conclave.
What does in conclave mean?
Once a Pope dies, the College of Cardinals, which is made up of the Catholic church’s most senior figures, comes together inside the Sistine Chapel to elect a papal conclave, who then becomes the new Pope.
The term conclave comes from the Latin cum clave, which means “with key”. It is a closed and secret process. All present must swear an oath of absolute secrecy. During the process, their phones are taken off them, and they have no access to televisions, newspapers, messages, or letters from the outside world.
Once they are assembled in Rome, they come together under Michelangelo’s painting in the chapel to start their deliberations. This usually happens between 15 and 20 days after the pope’s death.
The doors are locked once the words extra omnes are declared, which means “everyone out”.
During the voting process, votes are cast every morning and afternoon daily, until a candidate reaches a two-thirds majority.
Ballot cards are burned after every voting round, and chemicals are added to determine the colour of the smoke. If black smoke emerges from the chimney, it indicates the ballot is undecided, and an election of a new pope is signified with white smoke.
Is Conclave based on Pope Francis?
While the film and book were released months before the late pope’s passing, Richard told The New York Times he started researching for the film when Francis was initially elected.
He said Pope Francis was his inspiration when it came to the personality of the pope who dies in his book.
“I thought he was an interesting figure to take and to look at the risks and rivalries and problems that were under the surface,” he said.
“And I liked the idea of that sort of political tension under the surface.”
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the former Archbishop of Westminster who died in 2017, was his consultant when it came to research.
Where can I watch Conclave in Australia?
You can stream Conclave on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fetch TV.
