How accurate is Conclave and why is it controversial?
The Papal drama has drawn criticism from members of the Catholic Church, but how close is the film to the truth?
Ralph Fiennes' new drama Conclave heightens the drama around its titular meeting, the voting process that takes place to elect new pope.
The film, which is based on Robert Harris' novel of the same name, centres on the titular election process and is full of dogged campaigns, gossip, and secretive cardinals. It's tense and full of big surprises, but it has also been the subject of much criticism over its depiction of the Catholic Church.
Why is Conclave controversial?
As mentioned, several public figures have decried the film for its depiction of the Catholic Church, with people like Ben Shapiro arguing it is a film that uses "the trappings of Catholicism to preach about the evils of the Catholic Church". Minnesota Bishop Robert Barron also said that Catholics should "run away from it as fast as [they] can", for example.
However, director Edward Berger told Yahoo that the film isn't intended to be “a takedown of the Catholic Church,” and shouldn't be seen as such. He explained: “In the end, if there were controversy, I never think it’s bad. I invite that. I love that. We’ve lost the ability to argue with each other without fighting each other. And if everyone has a different opinion and a different feeling, that's a good thing.
“If I disagree with you, I might learn something from you … and suddenly go, ‘Ah, OK, never thought about it that way. Thank you for teaching me.’”
In an interview with Radio Times, Fiennes shared a similar sentiment when he said: "I think the spirit of Robert Harris's book is it's not a cynical takedown of the Catholic Church. It's actually asking quite important questions about who is worthy of this position."
Read more:
Ralph Fiennes tipped for Oscar for 'hypnotically towering' Conclave performance
Conclave director welcomes disagreements about the movie's take on Catholicism
Why Ralph Fiennes is our greatest – and most enigmatic – actor (The Telegraph, 9-min read)
The director explained to Yahoo how they tried to be as accurate as possible to what a Conclave is like in the film, though some creative license was taken because "after all, it is a movie". But how accurate is it, really? Here's what you need to know.
How is a Pope elected in a Conclave?
A pope is selected by the College of Cardinals, which is a group of the Catholic Church's most senior officials who are themselves appointed by the Pope and, usually, are ordained bishops. When a Pope dies, or steps down as was the case with Pope Benedict XVI, they are summoned to a meeting in the Vatican to begin a Conclave — a Papal election.
Cardinal-electors must be under the age of 80 to vote, with a maximum of 120 allowed to be part of the Conclave. During this period all cardinals must reside in the Vatican and are note allowed to have any contact with the outside world, the cardinal chamberlain supervises them and ensures that secret votes happen four times daily within the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
The cardinals can select one of their own number to become pope though, in theory, any baptised Catholic male is eligible to take the position — however precedence suggests that a cardinal will be given the role.
A Conclave can take days with the voting process shrouded in secrecy until a pope has been selected, while outright campaigning is forbidden there is an element of it through the political alliances of cardinals in the period before the election begins.
A person needs to earn a two-thirds majority vote to be made pope, and when a vote is cast the ballot papers are burned, which gives off the smoke that onlookers outside the Vatican are able to see.
The smoke will be black if a decision has not been made, and it will turn to white once a Conclave has chosen a new pope. Once the election of a new Pope has been signalled by smoke, their identity will be revealed to the world.
How accurate is Conclave's depiction of papal voting?
Conclave shows the College of Cardinals coming together to vote for a new pope after the Pope dies of a heart attack. They are led in this election process by Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes), and the film depicts four main candidates for the role.
As in reality, the cardinals vote in secrecy for a new pope and at first are unable to reach the two-third majority for a successful election.
There are certain elements of the story that are used to add dramatic effect to its depiction of a Conclave, such as an bombing attack on the Sistine Chapel during the voting process. The film's shocking twist, which won't be spoiled here, is directly adapted from Harris' novel.
Reflecting on the film's ending and the controversy around it, the director told Radio Times: "It's a big topic in our world, in the movie, within all kind of political factions. But also I want to, sort of, take our attention away from religion, because, in essence, it's a political thriller behind closed doors.
"It could take place in Washington, DC, it just happens to take place in the Vatican, you know. So it's really like a thriller with lots of twists and turns that surprise you, including the one that you're mentioning."
Conclave is out in cinemas now.
