Aramie
Ralph Fiennes plays Cardinal Lawrence. He tries to shape the outcome of the race
The 2024 film Conclave – box office and Oscar winner – tells the story of the Pope election, which has no obvious favourites. For many, it was a glimpse into the rare world of the Vatican and the very secretive process of choosing leaders for the Roman Catholic Church.
Life continues to fiction as 134 Cardinals begin the process of electing Pope Francis’ successors on Wednesday, May 7th. As film viewers know, the Pope’s Conclave takes place entirely behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel, under the world-famous Michelangelo fresco.
No one outside the boundaries of the Vatican can know the outcome until the white smoke feathers curl from its chimney.
But what does this film tell us about how Conclave plays out and why people find this process so fascinating?
“Stense responsibility”
Adapted from a bestselling novel by Robert Harris, Conclave shows what Cardinal OL Erectors are segregating themselves within the Vatican’s scope during the election process.
They are not allowed to communicate with people outside the Conclave – given their practicality, they are not completely blocked.
“They all need food, they’re not completely sealed from the world,” says Stephen Brivant, a professor of theology and sociology of religion at St. Mary’s University in Twickenham.
This voluntary isolation is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years.
According to Anna Rowlands, professor of Catholic Social Thought and Practice at Durham University, the idea of processes that occur behind closed doors may be at odds with the idea of processes that occur behind closed doors “focusing on transparency, vision and scrutiny” of the modern world, but it is partly intended to prevent electors from being influenced by external factors.
The film evokes a “incredibly reflective atmosphere” and a sense of withdrawal from the world, she says. “I have a hard time thinking about more intense responsibility and feelings than being trapped in a conclave.”
“Lots of politics”
On the screen, there is a lot of claustrophobic and intense deliberations, strategic secrets and tactical movements. One cardinal is to undermine the frontline in order to improve their own opportunities. Others with unlikely prospects urge their supporters to change their vote.
This conflict of interest and ideology offers many of the film’s drama. Film editor Nick Emerson told the BBC earlier this year.
Tina Beatty, professor of Catholic Studies at Rohampton University, will think that some cardinals believe that the most important part is following God’s guidance, and that other cardinals will be worried about making quick decisions.
Given Pope Francis’ health had been poor for some time, she added, even before Conclave, “there would have already been a lot of politics and conflict for a position behind the scenes.”
“All these tasks are going on [the cardinals] Not everything is a single mind. ”
In the film, some of the most tense scenes focus on the act of voting, but in reality, many of the drama could come to the meeting before Conclave officially begins.
During this time, participants “learn how to work together as bodies so that they can get to know each other, think about what their priorities are, come up with a unified decision,” says Professor Roland, who is approaching the end of a two-year secondment to the Vatican.
Getty Images
Cardinals attend a mass held for the late Pope Francis at St. Peters Cathedral in Rome
Complete unknown?
In the film, an unknown cardinal secretly appointed by the late Pope is struck by the conflict.
In real life, this is not possible. Baptized Roman Catholic men theoretically qualify to be the Pope, but all cardinals voting in the Conclave had to be publicly appointed by the previous Pope.
With this in mind, an imminent election may be one of the most unpredictable elections ever. Approximately 80% of the voting-qualified Cards have been appointed by Pope Francis over the past 12 years. He consciously selected people from all over the world who come from diverse political backgrounds.
Many of Francis’ appointees come from developing countries, “where and contexts where red hats are not normally given,” says Professor Roland.
This adds a level of uncertainty regarding priorities and final decisions.
Aramie
In Conclave, Cardinal Benitez enters a process unknown to his fellow cardinals
“Very human”
The film presents Cardinals as a false person and a man who shakes up for power.
Director Edward Berger told the BBC last year that Conclave was considered an “ancient spiritual ritual” but wanted to bring participants into “modernity.”
“We put them on this pedestal and you come near and they have cell phones, so they smoke, they have the same problems and evil and secrets as us.”
Professor Roland says the film offers a peek behind a process in which all elements of human nature and human life are “loss. Grief, ambition, fear, seduction, courage.”
She adds:
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