The first papal conclave, a term derived from “con clave”—Latin for “with key”—took place in 1274. It was spearheaded by Pope Gregory X, who said ele
The first papal conclave, a term derived from “con clave”—Latin for “with key”—took place in 1274. It was spearheaded by Pope Gregory X, who said electors should be locked away from the outside world when making their selection for a novel pope. As shown in the film, up to 120 Roman Catholic cardinals (all under the age of 80) from around the world will descend upon the Sistine Chapel within 15 to 20 days of the pope’s death. After taking an oath of secrecy, the collective will be sequestered from all media, voting multiple times per day until a two-thirds majority is reached.
After each day of deliberation, cardinals retire to the Casa Santa Marta, dormitory-style dwellings on Vatican soil. Conclave’s screenwriter said that these relatively modest digs inspired him to include shots of fictional cardinals smoking from vapes and fussing over instant coffee makers between votes. “Visually you get this strange mix of absolute ancient beauty and tremendous scale, contrasting with this almost business conference center feel,” Straughan told USA Today last fall.
Two stoves sit near the chapel entrance. One will emit black smoke, which means no decision has been made. The other will release the white smoke that indicates the election of a novel pope. Steven P. Millies, a professor of theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, previously told CNN that Conclave accurately depicts the “careful coalition-building” present during the actual pope-selecting process.
“A conclave is a political event in the best sense of politics — it is a thoughtful, even prayerful consideration of a community’s future,” he continued. “The ‘politicking’ does not deny the involvement of the Holy Spirit (it doesn’t guarantee it either, of course). Whether the Spirit is heeded is up to the cardinals. But the Spirit is present, and the vote-counting is a necessary part of the process.”
The presence of Spirit may not be guaranteed. But early social media sentiment suggests that more eyes than ever before will be trained on the upcoming conclave—and any characters who emerge once the smoke has settled.
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