22/23
When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events, the election of a new pope, he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church. The actions of Cardinal Lawrence and the other cardinals during the film’s conclave are true and accurate to the Catholic faith and centuries of tradition. Upon the death of the Pope, his ring (called the Fisherman’s Ring) is removed and destroyed; this prevents it from being used to forge the papal seal on documents. The Vatican officially declares the throne of the Holy See (the governing body of the Catholic Church) vacant. The Pope’s residence is closed with a crimson ribbon and sealed with a wax papal seal. The College of Cardinals are housed in apartments (Domus Sanctae Marthae, Saint Martha’s House) to eat and sleep between votes. Finally, the windows and doors of the Sistine Chapel, where the actual elections are held and votes are cast, are blacked out, closed, and locked to preserve the secrecy of the conclave. Some newer, more recent real-life security measures are also visible, as the Sistine Chapel, which convened for the conclave that elected Pope Francis I in 2013, was swept for bugs and other electronic listening devices, identity cards were issued to all conclave attendants, as a journalist disguised as an attendant was discovered during the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, all members of the college. Cardinals were required to hand over their cell phones and other electronic devices, the Vatican’s Wi-Fi network was temporarily shut down, and wireless signal jammers were installed in the Sistine Chapel. Ayendin is said to be the first African pope. The Roman Catholic Church has had three African popes: Victor The First (189-199 AD), Miltiades (also known as Melchiades, 311-314 AD), and Gelasius The First (492-496 AD). Lawrence: Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there were only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery. And therefore there is no need for faith. Let us pray that God would give us a pope who doubts. And let him give us a pope who sins and asks for forgiveness and who continues. Featured on The 7PM Project: Episode dated December 10, 2024 (2024). Allegri: Miserere Performed by Capella Musicale Pontificia Sistina, Massimo Palombella Courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon GMBH under license from Universal Music Operations Ltd. I just returned from the theater after seeing "Conclave" a movie that I was very excited about and enjoyed a lot. For most of the movie, I was so engrossed in the wonderful cinematography, the fantastic performances, the great score, and the quality costume and production design that I was convinced that this had to be a 10/10 movie. But then, unfortunately, the ending arrived. I believe that the ending of a movie is the most important part. What do you leave the audience with? What is your final statement to them? Well, in this movie, it is so confusing, confusing, and absurd that the final statement gets muddled, and I left the theater with a bad taste in my mouth. The ending is so unrealistic that it threatens to destroy all the previous frames. It is done purely to make a statement about the church and to shock the audience. Now, this doesn’t ruin the movie as a whole (at least not for me), but unfortunately it detracts from an otherwise great movie.
