Based on Robert Harris’s book of the same name,Conclavestars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini. The movie offers a glimpse into the ceremonial and secretive process of electing a new pope. After the mysterious death of the sitting pontiff inConclave, the papal conclave must convene to choose his successor. One man, Cardinal Lawrence (played by Fiennes), is tasked with organizing the election amid the discovery of a shocking secret that could destroy the Church.
The intrigue and suspense ofConclaveare fictional, but they rival what happens when a real papal conclave takes place. Behind closed doors, the College of Cardinals goes through a series of steps to choose thenew leader of the Catholic Churchwhile the world watches with eager anticipation. More recently, Pope Francis’s passing has seenrenewed interest inConclave, with many looking, once again, to better understand the process of determining a new pope when one passes.
The College of Cardinals Meets for the Conclave Within Days of a Pope’s Death
As the head of the Roman Catholic Church, the pope isthe spiritual leader for millionsworldwide. When a pope dies or resigns,the College of Cardinals elects his successor.Established during the 11th century, the College of Cardinals comprises all the cardinals of the Church around the globe. Initially a fairly small and localized group, cardinals have been increasingly far away from the heart of the Church in Rome. As a result, there needed to be enough time for cardinals to travel and get to Rome for a conclave. Cardinals generallyarrive in Rome two to three weeks after a pope’s death.
More than 200 cardinals are in the modern Catholic Church, butthey don’t all have voting rights. To vote in the conclave, a cardinal must be under the age of 80. With over100 cardinal electors eligible for the occupying Holy See,a papal conclave is rife with political and religious concerns alike. During the conclave,the cardinal electors reside at the same location, the Domus Sanctae Marthae (or Santa Martha House) in Vatican City.In addition to the cardinals, individuals tasked with carrying out “the personal and official needs connected with the election process” also stay at the facility.
Members of the Conclave Are Eligible to Become Pope
When cardinals arrive in Rome for a conclave, they are assigned a “titular” local church. There, they preside over Mass, essentiallypresenting themselves to the Christian faithful while simultaneously increasing the visibility of their names and faces.To become a pope,an individual must be a baptized Christian male.That is the only official qualification, but popes have beenchosen from the College of Cardinalssince the 14th century. According to former bureau chief for Catholic New Services John Thavis:
“The way candidates come to the fore is generally not by what they’re doing in their local archdioceses, which is what matters most to their own people,” he said. “It’s what they do at the center of the universal church.”
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Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo from the Institute for Continuing Theological Education at the North American College in Rome put it this way, “What’s going to be very key in this conclave is the person, the personality… Is he a man who can really speak to the hearts of people in this secularized, de-Christianized world where people, let’s face it, are leaving the church and need to be attracted to the message?”
Once the College of Cardinals convenes, they consider this as they enter the sequestered walls of the Sistine Chapel to vote for the next leader of the Catholic Church. Throughout the entire process,members of the conclave are forbidden from speaking with the public and media alike.
A White Smoke Plume Signals the Conclave Has Chosen a New Pope
The voting process in a papal conclave is ceremonial and highly structured.Dubbed the “ultimate election” by Robert Harris,the author of the book upon whichConclaveis based,a papal conclave takes place behind the doors of the Sistine Chapel.Jesuit Reverend Thomas J. ReesegaveConclavea B+for “accuracy in terms of the procedures of a conclave” but did say that some of the layout specifics for the Sistine Chapel were incorrect. Of note, in the movie, a beige floor substituted for the real red floor, something director Davies explained was done, “To heighten that whole sequence and again to bring that red-on-red of those beautiful costumes.”
Secrecy is of the utmost importanceas the members of the pray andvote one time via paper ballot on the first day. Multiple votes take place on subsequent days, with as many as four on the second, third, and fourth days of the conclave. If the conclave goes to a fifth day, the body gets a break. Voting resumes on the sixth day with seven rounds. If still no two-thirds majority is reached, the conclave takes another day to reflect and pray. Then the process starts over again.
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When a vote is cast, the cardinal writes the name of his choice (he cannot vote for himself) below the line:Eligo in Summun Pontificem. This is Latin for “I elect as supreme pontiff.” He then walks the ballot to the altar and places it in a chalice.
With each failed vote, the ballots are burned in a special stove installed for the event.Unsuccessful ballotsare burned with chemicals (potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulfur) thatturn the smoke black.The mixture rises from the chimney to signal to the world what has happened. Whena successful vote has finally taken place, the ballots are again burned, but the chemicals are different. This time, potassium chlorate, milk sugar, and pine rosincreate white smoke, signaling to the world that the conclave has chosen the new pope.
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Through its dramatic elements,Conclavetouches on concerns faced during the period between one Pope’s passing and another’s selection. Notably,doctrinal divides facing the church will play into the voting process, and whether the church will continue with the more progressive approach of Pope Francis or revert to more conservative moral teachings. Pope Francis waswilling to engage with the mediaand meet with Hollywood stars. Whether the Church wants to continue this approach may also be considered, as each pope has had a different approach to interacting with those outside of the church. Whether to go more conservative or liberal is likely to create a split in voting blocs, as seen inConclave.
Regional blocs will also play a role in the choice of a new pope, as Pope Francis was a unique choice when the role had been predominantly reserved for Italians. Argentinian Pope Francis was, arguably, considered partly because of the decline of European followers versus Africa and Asia, whose population continues to grow.While the outside world will not know what is happening behind the scenes, there may be a power vacuum similar to that seen inConclave, with the church now faced with the challenge of picking a pope that will either continue to define the values Pope Francis picked out or convert to a more conservative stance.
