The film Conclave depicts the election process of a new pope, and the film ornaments its terrifically acted drama with serious attention to the real-life process. Ralph Fiennes leads Conclave’s cast as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, who leads the election process for a new pope. While sequestered, various cardinals such as Bellini (Stanley Tucci), Tremblay (John Lithgow), Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), Adeyemi (Msamati), and Benitez (Carlos Diehz) vie for the papacy, and various threatening secrets are uncovered about each man.

In the thrilling journey to Conclave’s plot twist ending, Cardinal Lawrence navigates the disparate views of several candidates. Tedesco is a harsh traditionalist, Bellini is a progressive liberal, and Adeyemi is economically liberal but socially conservative. This puts Lawrence in a conflict of interest, as he also might be a potential candidate, and his reluctance to see himself as so might make him the perfect man for the job. But Lawrence bends some rules throughout the film, and it’s fascinating to read up on how the actual papal conclave would be run and what the film’s differences are.

How A New Pope Is Chosen In Real Life

Cardinals Are Summoned Around The World To Participate In The Conclave

With the death of Pope Francis and the election of a new pope on the horizon, interest in Conclave and the process it depicts has risen considerably. The leaders of the Roman Catholic Church have been gathering in Vatican City for exclusive elections, known as papal conclaves, for over a millennium. To this day, the papal conclave is held at the historic Sistine Chapel, which has been the case since 1878, when Leo XIII was elected.

The late Pope Francis, who was appointed in 2013, was elected through this process at the age of 76. The vote for a new pope is a highly secretive process held behind closed doors at the Sistine Chapel, which is scanned for microphones and cameras before the procedure begins.

While being sequestered, cardinals aren’t allowed to speak about the ongoing election process with anyone outside, or else they’d be excommunicated. Each cardinal is given a paper ballot with the prompt “Eligo in Summun Pontificem,” a Latin phrase for “I elect as supreme pontiff.” An important detail is that cardinals aren’t allowed to write their own name. The cardinals, in order of seniority, then walk to an altar one at a time to place their ballots into a chalice before the results are tallied and read aloud to those in attendance.

A cardinal is required to receive a majority of two-thirds of all votes to become the new pope. If a new pope is selected, white smoke will come from the Vatican’s rooftop, revealing to the world that a decision has been made. However, if a decision isn’t made, ballots will be burned with an additional chemical that makes the smoke black. In this case, the conclave resumes, with two to four more votes held per day. If, on the fifth day, a decision hasn’t been made, the cardinals will pause for prayer and discussion before continuing.

Who Votes For The New Pope

The College Of Cardinals Votes On The New Pope

When the time comes for a papal conclave to be held, every cardinal in the world under the age of 80 is meant to travel to Rome to partake in the process. Generally speaking, roughly 120 participants are expected to show up, making the two-thirds majority about 80. In 2013’s election of Pope Francis, 115 cardinals attended. Also attending are two masters of ceremonies, some of the only non-cardinals allowed into the chapel during the election process. Some cardinals are also given special roles within the election.

When it comes to the upcoming conclave for the successor to Pope Francis, there are 135 cardinals who are under the age limit to be able to vote for the papacy. However, the total attendance for the conclave can vary, and it is not likely that all eligible cardinals will travel to Rome in order to take part, though it will be a large majority.

The Dean of the College of Cardinals has been an established position since the 12th century, with the responsibility being to preside over the College of Cardinals. This includes summoning the cardinals for the conclave and overseeing the process. The dean will typically have a vice-dean, in the case where the dean himself might be elected pope, so that someone will be prepared to take over the responsibilities of the dean to complete the process. There have been nine cases in history where the dean was elected as the new pope.

Aside from the dean, nine cardinals are chosen at random to serve various roles in the election process. Three are selected as voting judges, called “scrutineers,” three are selected to collect votes from cardinals who are restricted to their living quarters due to sickness, and three are selected to double-check the work of the scrutineers. The non-cardinals, including the masters of ceremonies, are not allowed to be present in the chapel as the cardinals write their ballots.

Can Only Cardinals Become The Pope?

Technically, Any Baptized Catholic Male Can Be Elected Pope

Since 1379, every pope of the Roman Catholic Church has been a member of the College of Cardinals. However, there’s no rule that states that they’re the only ones allowed to be elected. Technically, any baptized Catholic male is able to be elected, but a non-cardinal hasn’t been elected since Pope Urban VI, who was an Archbishop. While it’s possible for a non-cardinal to be elected, it’s typical that the cardinals will select from amongst themselves, carrying out the process similar to how it’s portrayed in the film.

What Conclave Gets Right About The Pope Selection Process

Conclave Nails The Important Elements

Reviews for Conclave have highlighted the film’s attention to detail in terms of setting and production design, but the film’s depiction of the papal conclave is also fairly accurate. The film is especially accurate when it comes to the long-held rituals that are part of the process, which begins with the death of the pope. The opening scene finds Lawrence and the other cardinals destroying the pope’s ring after praying over his body, a process that signifies the end of his reign in the role.

The voting process is also depicted accurately, with the movie showing in detail how the votes are cast according to the historical traditions. This includes the burning of the votes and the smoke used to communicate with the followers outside and around the world, whether a new pope has been named. In that regard, the sequestering of the cardinals is a big part of the themes of the movie, and Conclave is accurate in depicting how important this is to the process, though the film does allow more outside interference than in reality.

What Conclave Gets Wrong About The Pope Election Process

Details About The Timeline And Sequestering Are Incorrect

As much acclaim as Conclave received for its authentic depiction of the process, there are some aspects that are incorrect. There are some differences in the details of the real-life process that are left out of the film, such as the absence of the vice-dean and the appointed jobs, such as “scrutineer.” Some aspects, such as Lawrence’s meetings with Monsignor Raymond O’Malley, likely wouldn’t be possible in real life, as even the dean wouldn’t be allowed to speak with anyone from the outside world while sequestered.

The usage of O’Malley for outside information heightens the drama in Conclave and works to the film’s benefit, but the rules Lawrence breaks stretch the bounds of fiction. Isabella Rossellini’s role as Sister Agnes likely has more autonomy than she would in real life, supporting the film’s feminist themes. Lawrence is shown voting for himself toward the end of Conclave, and it’s implied that other cardinals have been doing the same throughout the film, which would technically not be allowed.

The timeline of the movie is also rushed compared to what would happen in real life. Conclave shows the gathering of the cardinals for the election happening, but the reality is that there would be weeks between the death of the pope and the election of the new pope. With the recent death of Pope Francis, there will be a nine-day mourning period with his funeral taking place on April 26, 2025. It is not until the mourning period is over that the conclave process will begin.

However, one of the most notable errors made by the movie concerns the character of Cardinal Benitez, the cardinal who is eventually named as the new pope. David Gibson, Director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, commented on the character, and while he admitted that the twist with Benitez’s election was possible, Conclave‘s detail about the secret cardinal has a glaring inaccuracy:

There is a real custom by which a pope can name a cardinal “in pectore,” which is Latin for “in his heart” or “in his breast.” The name is known only to the pope usually, because the bishop would face persecution if his status were known. This is never explained in the film for reasons of time, I’m sure. One technical problem is that as soon as a pope dies, if he has not revealed this name, that secret cardinal would not be a cardinal and would not be able to enter a conclave even with a permission slip, as Cardinal Benitez does.

While the reveal of Benitez showing up to the conclave without anyone knowing he existed is a dramatic moment, the fact that it would have made him ineligible to attend the conclave, let alone be named pope, is a substantial misstep by Conclave.