Pope Francis is just a few weeks away from his 88th birthday, and the Vatican is already deep into planning for his successor. Meanwhile, in Rome, the film 'Conclave' is making waves at the Rome Film Festival. This thriller, filled with intrigue and manipulation among cardinals, might hit a little too close to home for Pope Francis. Directed by Austrian-Swiss filmmaker Edward Berger, known for 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (2022), the film is adapted from Robert Harris' 2016 novel 'Conclave'. Berger casts Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, the dean of the College of Cardinals tasked with organizing the conclave.
The conclave is a centuries-old tradition where, upon the death of a pope, cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pontiff through a series of secret votes. The term 'conclave' originates from the Latin 'cum clave', meaning 'with a key', symbolizing the locked-in nature of the process until a new leader is chosen for the world's 1.3 billion Catholics. The process takes place under Michelangelo's breathtaking frescoed ceiling, with 'The Last Judgment' adorning the wall behind the altar. During the conclave, the cardinals are isolated from the outside world and must reside within the Vatican.
Conclaves are notorious for their behind-the-scenes deals and secretive nature. After each round of voting, ballots are burned in a specially designed stove in the Sistine Chapel, with a chemical added to color the smoke. The tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square rely on the smoke to indicate whether a new pope has been chosen—black smoke means no decision, while white smoke signals a new pope has been elected. In 'Conclave', Stanley Tucci plays Aldo Bellini, a progressive American cardinal, pitted against conservative cardinals Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) and Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow). Nigerian Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi, portrayed by Lucian Msamati, could be the first Black pope, but his homophobic views clash with the progressives.
While women remain excluded from the conclave and the highest echelons of Vatican power, they play essential yet humble roles serving the cardinals during the conclave period. Isabella Rossellini plays a nun who, as a quiet observer, misses nothing. Despite being a thriller, the film often mirrors the real workings and contemporary debates within the Vatican. As the stars walked the red carpet, some pondered how the film would be received at the Vatican. “It's intriguing. Are they sitting there at the Vatican watching the news coverage of ‘Conclave’?” Fiennes mused. “I am sure there are a few people in the Vatican who would be curious to see what the film is saying.”
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