With the recent death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, the search to find the new one, Pope Leo, has been a complex one. People around the world wonder what the process is like to find a new Pope, and luckily, the movie “Conclave”, released in October of 2024, depicts the process very accurately.
The Academy Award-winning film was directed by Edward Berger and starred Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini and John Lithgow. Winning the best adapted screenplay Oscar in March, “Conclave” brings to life the heady mix of mystery, ritual and tradition, but most of all the politics of the papal selection process.
All heads turned to watch the film after Pope Francis passed away, looking to get a better look at the process of finding a new Pope and to get a better understanding of what was happening. Viewers’ curiosity increased so much that the film viewing rose 283% in the week following Pope Francis’ death.
Firstly, the movie is largely accurate in its portrayal of the intense secrecy and isolation that surrounds a papal conclave. Cardinals are sequestered from the outside world to prevent undue influence, just like how it is represented in the movie. The film generally got the voting procedures correct. The use of secret ballots, the burning of the ballots with black smoke to indicate no decision and the burning of white smoke to announce the election of a new Pope are all depicted accurately.
The movie does, however, exaggerate the level of political maneuvering and backstabbing among cardinals, but it’s not entirely unrealistic. There are factions and different viewpoints within the College of Cardinals, which creates differences among the decisions and makes the process longer.
The Dean of the College of Cardinals has a significant role in the conclave, as shown in the movie. He leads prayers and discussions, and he is a key figure in maintaining order during the process, both in the movie and in reality.
On the other hand, there were some immense inaccuracies and exaggerations. Like any film based on real events, “Conclave” takes dramatic license to create a compelling story. The specific characters and plotlines are all fictionalized, and the movie might have compressed the timeline of the election for dramatic effect. Some conclaves can last for days or even weeks. For example, Pope Leo was picked around two weeks after Pope Francis’s death. While the film might imply a formal “Devil’s advocate” role, it is more likely that cardinals simply voice concerns or objections about potential candidates.
The film features a fictional “cardinal in pectore” (secretly appointed cardinal) named Cardinal Benitez, who participates in the conclave, which is not possible in reality. Additionally, some cardinals in the film break rules, such as investigating the deceased pope’s quarters or revealing confessional secrets, which would be highly unlikely in reality.
“[The] acting and production values were great, but the plot twists were bizarre and unbelievable,” Tom Reese, a Jesuit priest and church commentator based in Washington, DC, said in a CNN interview.
Another inaccurate depiction was the showing of the late Pope’s ring after he passed. In the film, after the late pope’s death, the cardinals gather around his body. Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow) removes his ring, then Tremblay immediately breaks it, delivering the line, “The throne of the Holy See is vacant.”
As “Conclave” shows, the pope’s signet ring, called Ring of the Fisherman, is destroyed after his death to signify the papal vacancy and to ensure that no forgeries can be made in the pope’s name, as the ring serves as a seal for letters, too.
Traditionally, the ring is removed from the pope’s body, then it is held by the camerlengo (a Vatican official) until it is ceremoniously destroyed, according to the Vatican News. Therefore, the immediate break was pretty unrealistic.
Overall, the film provides an accurate insight into the process of choosing a new Pope and what that process means for the church. The movie helps audiences from around the world understand what has gone on in the last couple of weeks, which gives immense props to the film directors, producers and writers for handling a realistic movie.
