Edward Berger’s 2024 political drama Conclave has garnered a lot of attention thanks to its impressive showing this awards season. The movie follows the College of Cardinals as they are sequestered while balloting to decide who will become the next pope following the death of the previous pope. Understandably, Conclave has received rave reviews that highlight the great performances of the cast, the direction, and the intricacies of the story. Leading into the Oscars, for which the movie has received eight nominations, Conclave has won numerous awards to bolster its impressive resume thus far.

Conclave does a fantastic job of building the tension between the different characters as they come to mistrust each other, while the stakes of choosing a new pope rise with their conflicting interests. Conclave‘s impressive cast is led by Ralph Fiennes as the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Lawrence, who increasingly learns the secrets of many of the top candidates, which removes them from the running. While not all the characters learn of every controversy, there are several events throughout the movie that impact Conclave‘s ending.

Cardinal Tremblay Lied About The Pope Asking Him To Resign

He Tried To Hide The Conversation After The Pope Died

The pope’s unexpected death at the beginning of Conclave meant that his most recent actions and conversations went with him to his grave, including his final meeting with Cardinal Tremblay. Because they were the only two there, after the pope’s death Tremblay believed that no one would know what he had spoken to the pope about. However, Janusz Wozniak, the Prefect of the Papal Household, had already spoken to the pope about the conversation before his death and knew the truth. Luckily, Wozniak was able to convey this information to Cardinal Lawrence near the beginning of the film.

When Lawrence later confronted Tremblay about his conversation with the former pope, Tremblay lied to him and said it was a normal conversation. Since Cardinal Lawrence had no physical proof that the pope had asked Tremblay to resign, only one man’s word against another’s, there was nothing he could do about this finding until he discovered the pope’s true intentions later in the film. During this time, Tremblay was allowed to continue gaining support in the ballots, and he also had other tricks up his sleeve.

Cardinal Tremblay Paid For Votes From Other Cardinals

Tremblay Committed Simony In His Attempt To Become The Next Pope

The true reason that the previous pope had asked Tremblay to resign is finally discovered by Cardinal Lawrence later in Conclave after he decides to enter the previous pope’s chambers to search for more information that would help him deal with the unexpected complications in the process. Cardinal Tremblay had been asked to resign because he committed simony, meaning that he had been paying other cardinals for their votes in the conclave, and the former pope had been watching him to uncover his actions.

The documents that Lawrence finds hidden in the headboard of the pope’s bed finally provide proof that Cardinal Tremblay committed a crime and was asked to resign because of it. However, because the group is sequestered and is not supposed to have outside influence, he debates the proper way to disclose the information to everyone. Eventually, Cardinal Lawrence exposes Cardinal Tremblay in front of the entire group by printing copies of his payments with the names of the recipients redacted, effectively ending Tremblay’s chances.

Cardinal Tremblay Arranged For Sister Shanumi’s Transfer

He Was Attempting To Undermine Cardinal Adeyemi

Before being exposed by Cardinal Lawrence, not only was Cardinal Tremblay asked to resign by the former pope, but he had also already set another plan in motion. Tremblay arranged for the transfer of Sister Shanumi from Nigeria to Vatican City right before the conclave began, knowing that this action would cause a disturbance to one of his biggest rivals. Tremblay arranged for Sister Shanumi to work in the Vatican because of her history with Cardinal Adeyemi.

After an altercation in the cafeteria between Adeyemi and Sister Shanumi, Cardinal Lawrence approaches Sister Shanumi and her superior, Sister Agnes, to find out more about what had occurred. While he learns another mᴀssive secret about a member of the conclave, Lawrence also realizes that the order to have Sister Shanumi transferred came from Tremblay. Though Cardinal Tremblay tells Lawrence that he made the request on behalf of the previous pope, in reality both men know that Tremblay did it to improve his own chances of becoming the next pope.

Cardinal Adeyemi Had A Child With Sister Shanumi After A Forbidden Romance

His Past Ultimately Ruined His Chance Of Being The Next Pope

One of the biggest reveals in Conclave is that Cardinal Adeyemi secretly had a child many years ago with Sister Shanumi. Tremblay found out about their history and arranged to have Sister Shanumi moved, knowing that there would likely be a confrontation between the two that would ruin his chances. This confrontation eventually does happen in the cafeteria with all the other cardinals watching, and the group begins to doubt Cardinal Adeyemi enough that he no longer receives votes during the ballots.

Though the majority of the group does not actually know what occurred between the two, Cardinal Lawrence does come to find out after hearing each of their confessions. Lawrence handles the situation appropriately and is kind to Shanumi and Adeyemi, but he also tells Adeyemi that his career is over because of this mistake. The illicit romance between Sister Shanumi and Cardinal Adeyemi many years ago, and Tremblay’s interference in making it come to light, takes Adeyemi out of the running to become the next pope.

Cardinal Benitez’s Gender Would Have Sparked Controversy If Revealed

Cardinal Lawrence Helped Cover This Secret Up Out Of Support For The New Pope

The final controversy in Conclave, which only comes to light in the last minutes of the film, is that of Cardinal Benitez’s gender. Benitez was a newcomer to the group and was named in pectore shortly before the pope’s death, meaning that none of the other cardinals knew of him. While at the beginning of the movie Cardinal Benitez was far removed from the drama of the other candidates, by the end of the film, the cardinals chose Benitez as the next pope. Lawrence fully supported Benitez and the principles that he stood for, but was shocked to learn of his secret medical history.

Conclave reveals that Cardinal Benitez is actually interSєx, but he only learned this after recent medical testing. While the previous pope had agreed to pay for gender reᴀssignment surgery for his internal reproductive organs to match his chosen gender, Benitez ultimately decided against this because he felt it was the way god made him. Lawrence is taken aback by this news, but he still supports Benitez as the new pope and agrees to keep it secret. While this information would have been controversial among some traditional church members if revealed, Lawrence’s acceptance gives Conclave a positive ending instead.