Ahead of the 2025 conclave to find Pope Francis’ successor, Catholic cardinals reportedly consulted Edward Berger’s 2024 acclaimed drama film of the same name.
According to Politico, a number of cardinals who are a part of the ongoing conclave that began 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.”
Related Stories
After Robert Prevost was named the new Pope on Thursday, his brother, John Prevost, told NBC News that Leo XIV watched Conclave before the real-life conclave commenced.
“And I said, ‘Well, are you ready for this?’” Prevost recalled. “I said, ‘Did you watch the movie Conclave so you know how to behave?’ And he had just finished watching the movie Conclave, so he knew how to behave.”
“It’s that kind of stuff because I wanted to take his mind off of it, you know, laugh about something because this is now an awesome responsibility,” John Prevost added.
In Berger’s Conclave, which is an adaptation of Robert Harris’ novel, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with leading the College of Cardinals after their pope dies. The film is set over three days at the Vatican in Italy, and sees Fiennes’ Lawrence investigate and uncover scandals involving potential candidates.
Francis, the first Latin American pope ever, died April 21 after a stroke that led to heart failure. The 2025 conclave is the first since Francis’ election in 2013, which was settled after two days of voting. The cardinals began the process Wednesday but failed to elect a new Pope on the first day, though they elected Leo XIV one day later on Thursday.
The thriller picked up eight Oscar noms earlier this year, including nods for supporting actress, actor and best picture. 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 has portrayed the Vatican on the silver screen. In 2019, The Two Popes followed the story of Francis’ ascension, and picked up three Oscar nominations, including a nod for Jonathan Pryce for his portrayal of Francis.
In The Hollywood Reporter’s Conclave review, Stephen Farber writes, “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.”
May 9, 2:55 p.m. Updated with additional details about Robert Prevost’s election as the pope.
May 9, 4:02 p.m. A previous version of this story included the wrong year for Pope Francis’ election.
