Ahead of the 2025 conclave to find Pope Francis’ successor, Catholic cardinals seemingly consulted Edward Berger’s 2024 political thriller of the same name.
According to Politico, a number of cardinals who are a part of the ongoing conclave that began on Wednesday in Rome watched Conclave as a “helpful research tool” to learn more about the process of selecting a new Pope.
“Some have watched [Conclave] in the cinema,” a cleric told Politico, with the outlet adding that “The film is seen as remarkably accurate even by cardinals” and has been useful “at a time when so many of the conclave participants have little experience of Vatican politics and protocol.”
In Berger’s Conclave, which is an adaptation of Robert Harris’s novel, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with leading the College of Cardinals’ after their Pope dies from a heart attack. The film is set over three days at the Vatican in Italy, and sees Fiennes’s Lawrence investigate and uncover scandals involving potential Pope candidates.
Francis, the first Latin American pope ever, died on April 21 after a stroke that led to heart failure. The 2025 conclave is the first since Francis’ election in 2017, which was settled after two days of voting. The cardinals began the process on Wednesday but failed to elect a new Pope on its first day.
The thriller picked up eight Oscar noms earlier this year, including a nod for supporting actress, leading actor and the coveted best picture categories. Conclave took home one win at the 2025 Academy Awards, with Peter Straughan being honored with the award for best adapted screenplay.
Conclave isn’t the first time Hollywood portrayed the Vatican on the silver screen. 2019’s The Two Popes followed the story of Francis’ ascension (played by Jonathan Pryce), and picked up three Oscar nominations, including a nom for Pryce for his portrayal of Francis.
In The Hollywood Reporter’s Conclave review, Stephen Farber wrote, “As the power plays grow more intense, a nun played by Isabella Rossellini turns out to have an important role in challenging the male hierarchy of the Catholic Church. The film raises timely issues of sexual and racist prejudices within organized religion, while also acknowledging the sexual scandals that have rocked the Church in recent years.”
