Camille Naredo

Article (news)

Conclave

Reuters Wires

<p>As the Vatican prepares for the secret meeting of cardinals who will pick a successor to Pope Francis, forget - to some extent - what you may have learned from &quot;Conclave,&quot; last year&#x27;s hit movie depicting high-level power games and backstabbing among the red-robed clerics.</p><p>The conclave of the so-called &quot;Princes of the Church&quot; that will elect a new pope is expected to start some time between May 6 and May 11. It will follow Francis&#x27; funeral on Saturday and wider consultations among cardinals, known as general congregations.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/4/23/pope-francis-s-coffin-begins-procession-towards-saint-peter-s-basilica-1513">READ: Tens of thousands say goodbye to Pope Francis lying in state</a></div><p>The film, which won an Oscar in March for best adapted screenplay, is a faithful representation in terms of costumes and staging, but the blatant scheming and closing plot twist - which this article will not spoil - are too much, Church experts say.</p><p>&quot;There will be high drama. I&#x27;m sure there will be debates among the cardinals about who could be the next pope, or who would be the best person to lead the 1.4 billion member church after Pope Francis. It&#x27;s typically, though, a bit less heated than what you saw in the film,&quot; Vatican correspondent for Reuters, Joshua McElwee, said.</p><p>&quot;Obviously it&#x27;s a work of fiction, it&#x27;s a work of art. It emulates life; it tries to help people understand what happens behind the scenes. But it&#x27;s not true to life in terms of it&#x27;s not an accurate rendition of what would happen.&quot;</p><p>The word &quot;conclave&quot; comes from the Latin &quot;cum clave&quot; (with a key), referring to the Medieval practice of locking cardinals up in a room until they make a decision on a new pope. That is still essentially how it works today.</p><p>Cardinals gathered inside the Sistine Chapel are banned from communicating with the outside world - no phones, television or internet - and are supposed to keep quiet about the election afterwards. But details, inevitably, filter through.</p><p>Regardless of how much the book and film are fiction, interest in the story surged after Francis died on Monday.</p><p>Entertainment industry data firm Luminate reported that U.S. streaming viewership figures for &quot;Conclave&quot; rose by 283% on Monday compared to the previous day.</p><div><strong>(Production: Marissa Davison, Cristiano Corvino, Oriana Boselli)</strong></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2025/2/24/vatican-thriller-conclave-wins-top-prize-in-sag-awards-upset-1335">READ: Vatican thriller &#x27;Conclave&#x27; wins top prize in SAG Awards upset</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2025/2/16/-conclave-bags-bafta-best-film-honor-brutalist-wins-best-director-0623">READ: &#x27;Conclave&#x27; bags BAFTA best film honor, &#x27;Brutalist&#x27; wins best director</a></div>

<p>The film, which won an Oscar in March for best adapted screenplay, is a faithful representation in terms of costumes and staging, but the blatant scheming and closing plot twist are too much, Church experts say.</p>

The film, which won an Oscar in March for best adapted screenplay, is a faithful representation in terms of costumes and staging, but the blatant scheming and closing plot twist are too much, Church experts say.

Forget the film: Vatican is preparing for the real 'Conclave'

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Forget the film: Vatican is preparing for the real 'Conclave'

Reuters

Published Apr 24, 2025 06:47 AM PHT

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Pope Francis

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