Cardinals have reportedly watched the Academy Award-winning film Conclave for pointers as they prepare to vote in a new pope. Some of the 133 brothers of the church “have watched it in the cinema”, a cleric involved in the conclave told POLITICO. The film follows Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, the dean of the College of the Cardinals, played by Ralph Fiennes, in the wake of the Pope’s death.
Edward Berger’s film takes viewers from the moment his body his found until a new Holy Father is elected. Based on a book of the same name by Robert Harris, it deals with scandals within the church and scheming cardinals, securing it an Oscar for best adapted screenplay. The cleric told the outlet that the cardinals see it as incredibly accurate, which has been particularly helpful as many of them are inexperienced in Vatican politics and protocol.
Most of the 133 cardinals currently sequestered in the Vatican have never attended a conclave before, and many come from smaller dioceses around the world, much like the film’s underdog Cardinal Vincent Benitez from the Philippines.
Conclave was released four months before Pope Francis’ death from stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.
Much like the film, Vatican insiders have leaked anonymous jabs at rivals, abuse allegations have come to light, and one cardinal has been banned from the conclave for his connections to a fraud case, uncovered in a letter from the pope after his death.
The highly rated film also shows cardinals living, eating, and socialising at the Casa Santa Marta guesthouse in the Vatican, which will happen over the coming days.
The Sistine Chapel was also swept for listening devices before the twice-daily voting sessions, which were done on Wednesday morning.
Cardinals put their votes inside a sealed container, and a Vatican dignitary reads them aloud once they’ve all been cast.
The new pope must win by a two-thirds majority, and if this is not reached, the votes are threaded together and burnt with an additive to produce black smoke, signalling that a new Holy Father has not yet been chosen.
When white smoke billows from a special chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, it signifies a new pope has been elected.