Conclave (2024) … and 2025
I saw Conclave in theaters at the end of last year, and it’s easily in my top 5 favorite movies of 2024. But, you know me, I love a slow burn. I’d also like to add that this movie is incredibly beautiful to look at and truly is a feast for hungry eyes.
Before seeing this, all I knew about papal selection was that there are different smoke colors depending on whether a new pope is selected or not. Now, after seeing this, I’m basically an expert on the entire process - basically.
Conclave, based on the 2016 novel of the same name, is about the papal conclave and the secretive but very precise process of nominating a new pope. The movie centers around Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (played by Ralph Fiennes, who knocks it out of the park), the dean of Cardinals, whose responsibilities include presiding over the conclave’s election following the unexpected death of the current Pope.
During the conclave, locked inside the Vatican, the cardinals are forbidden to contact the outside world. The cardinals find themselves in a push and pull between conservative vs liberal choices when determining the next leader and the future of the church, which is something that I’m sure will happen in the upcoming weeks.
Every so often, a movie parallels close to real life. For years, I felt like Contagion never got the recognition it deserved, and then the pandemic happened, everyone finally watched it, I rewatched it, and it felt a little too close to home. This is another mini-Contagion moment where cinematic art helps us make sense of something in the world around us.
While scrolling through Reddit this morning, I saw this comment that beautifully contextualized Pope Francis’ life and Easter passing:
“Some context for non-Catholics who don't know much of our dogma, Easter is the most sacred time in the Catholic liturgical calendar. While Christmas celebrates the Incarnation—God becoming man—Easter is the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection, the definitive victory over sin and death. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, ‘The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ’ (CCC 638). Everything the Church teaches—salvation, eternal life, the sacraments—flows from that moment. It is the foundation of Christian hope.
That’s why Pope Francis’s death, coming just after Easter, resonated so deeply with Catholics around the world. He was gravely ill, and yet, he made it a point to be present—however limited—for Easter Sunday Mass. That wasn’t just symbolic; it was a final act of devotion. In Catholic tradition, the Mass isn’t simply a ritual—it is a representation of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection. For the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, to be there, even in frailty, underscored the profound importance of that liturgical moment. It was as if he knew he had one last mission to fulfill.
Pope Francis was also a Jesuit, and that matters here. Jesuits take a special vow to go where they are most needed and to imitate Christ as closely as possible in their daily lives. The Jesuit motto Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam—‘for the greater glory of God’—guides them to seek God in all things, especially in suffering and humility. Jesuits strive to live as Jesus did: poor, obedient, and completely at the service of others. In his final days, Pope Francis embodied that spirituality—accepting weakness, embracing suffering, and staying with the Church through Easter, the moment when Christ conquered death.
There’s also a well-known phenomenon in end-of-life care called ‘the rally’, where people near death experience a final moment of clarity or strength. Many loved ones seem to hold on just long enough to reach a certain milestone or say a final goodbye. That’s what this felt like: the Pope, deeply in tune with the life of Christ, holding on for the most sacred celebration of the Church. Then, having seen Easter through, he let go—his final earthly act echoing Christ’s own words: ‘It is finished.’
For many Catholics, this wasn’t a mere coincidence. It felt providential. Pope Francis lived his Jesuit calling to the very end—staying close to Christ in His Passion, and bearing witness to the Resurrection one final time before returning to the Father.
Ho Mashálam (it is finished in Aramaic, which is probably what Jesus actually said).”
If there were a Conclave reality TV show, I would faithfully watch it, especially if the drama was anything like the movie. People on Twitter are already campaigning for their favorite potential future pope. Pope Francis lived a humble and Godly life just to face his final challenge, JD Vance. (I know a demon when I see one.) May his soul rest in peace.