(With a General Overview of Hollywood and the Depiction of the Catholic Church)
Conclave is a 2024 movie directed by Edward Berger based on a (fictional) novel by Peter Straughan. The cast includes well-known actors Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini. Billed as a political thriller, it tells the story of Cardinal Lawrence who must organize a conclave to elect the next Pope while uncovering various scandals among the leading candidates. It was originally released in U.S. theaters in October of 2024 and now streams on Peacock.
Reviews and award nominations
When I first heard about this movie, I was certain it would be another opportunity for Hollywood to misrepresent and disparage the Church in some way. Then I read that Bishop Barron said it could have been written by the editorial staff of The New York Times, so I decided not to bother with it. Incidentally, Ben Shapiro from The Daily Wire urged his followers to boycott the movie. Meanwhile, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the left-leaning National Catholic Reporter, as well as the Jesuit magazine America gave the movie positive reviews.
I recently learned that it was nominated for Best Picture by the Academy of Motion Pictures, and I realized that this movie is likely to continue to receive attention. So going where even angels fear to tread, I thought perhaps a more thorough and hopefully balanced and open-minded analysis from a Catholic (and parts psychology) perspective would be in order, so here we go!
I’ve decided to ask myself three questions:
- Is this film a manipulative left-wing propaganda piece?
- Is this film a modern parable with something to teach us?
- How can this film be understood from a parts work approach?
Hollywood characterizations (and caricatures) of the Catholic Church
Let’s get the first question out of the way first, but before we do, let’s take a moment and briefly review the way the Catholic Church has been portrayed in Hollywood over the years. The Church has always been a topic of interest by the secular film industry and for obvious reasons. It is a 2000+-year-old religious organization with an undeniably influential history, albeit colorful, a hierarchical structure which includes tradition, pageantry and costumes, billions of followers, wealth and property across the globe, and richly symbolic and mysterious rituals. Within the Church one can find martyrs, idealists, and heroes, as well as zealots, tyrants, and victims.
Hollywood tends to sensationalize the more mysterious elements of Catholicism. I’m thinking of horror movies such as The Omen which tells the story of the son of Satan and the rise to power of the Anti-Christ, or more recently The Nun. Exorcisms are always popular and sensational but there are films with some degree of accuracy such as The Exorcist and The Exorcism of Emily Rose which despite serious flaws are based on real-life cases. Meanwhile many exorcism movies are downright terrible such as The Exorcism of St. Patrick or The Exorcist: Believer. Scandals are also popular where priests are portrayed as weak or broken or repressed or abusive.
Despite painfully exploitative films such as 1994’s Priest or 1999’s Stigmata, there have also been charming films such as Going My Way with Bing Crosby as a lovable priest or The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews as a singing would-be nun. The Trouble with Angels was one of my favorites, released in 1966, starring Hayley Mills and Rosalind Russell as two troublesome teens at an all-girls Catholic school run by nuns, and tells the story of one girl’s ultimate choice to enter the religious life. Another one of my favorites is the hard-to-find 1986 comedy-drama Saving Grace starring Tom Conti as a likable but disillusioned Pope who accidentally gets locked out of the Vatican and has an adventure where he renews his own pastoral ministry by helping a small community rediscover their purpose.
Some films like Dead Man Walking, starring Susan Sarandon, based on a real-life nun who worked with death row inmates, are powerful and thought provoking. I reviewed the 1986 film The Mission which portrayed the struggle between Jesuit missionaries and the political powers influencing 18th century South America. Another powerful and often disturbing movie is the 1989 film Romero starring Raul Julia as the title character which tells the true story of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador who is now a canonized saint.
The 2010 French film Of God’s and Men is another one of my all-time favorites which captures the beauty of liturgy as well as the true story of the martyrdom of nine Cistercian monks in Algeria. We have also experienced beautiful and powerful films about saints such as The Song of Bernadette as well as biblical figures such as Moses in The Prince of Egypt. Especially noteworthy are respectful and moving films about Christ Himself such as Jesus of Nazareth and the Passion of the Christ.
Spoilers ahead!
How Conclave portrays the Catholic Church through its [fictional] cardinals
So where does Conclave land in this landscape of films that treat the Catholic Church and its many dimensions? For my part, I had a mixed reaction. It is my impression that the film attempts to capture the humanity of the various fictional Church leaders, especially the main character Cardinal Lawrence played by Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes.
In the film, Cardinal Lawrence is a left-leaning moderate with a strong sense of integrity. He is generally fair and impartial, seeks the truth as he sees it, and wants to do the right thing. We learn that he is struggling in his own faith-life, and he denies any desire to become the Pope himself. The now deceased Pope had refused his resignation, so Lawrence is duty-bound to fulfill his role as Dean of the College of Cardinals and manage the next Conclave to elect the next Pope. He is firm and resolute in investigating and holding accountable the disgraced African Cardinal who fathered a child with a nun 30 years prior. Despite his own spiritual struggles, he is remarkably pastoral and fraternal with the African prelate as he chooses to comfort and pray with him. He also chooses to investigate the leading and liberal minded Canadian papal candidate Cardinal Tremblay, despite political reasons not to, and uncovers Tremblay’s history of simony (selling church offices) which disqualifies him as a candidate. In an additional layer to Cardinal Lawrence’s complex and compelling character, when it becomes clear that he himself is a viable candidate for the papacy, his own ambition is revealed: his chosen papal name would be John. It turns out Bellini is correct, every man who becomes a Cardinal secretly desires to be Pope, even the high-minded Cardinal Lawrence.
The most liberal papal candidate, Cardinal Bellini, is also interesting and complex. We see him actively working and conspiring with other Cardinals behind the scenes (as I understand it, a no-no) to promote his own candidacy. We learn that he is resolute in appearing as an uncompromising leftist candidate. Despite his principles, when the chips are down and his candidacy is no longer viable, he is willing to make a secret deal with Tremblay. He would rather take a pay-out and elect a corrupt liberal Pope than see Tedesco, a far-right conservative, become Pope. This is shocking and discouraging for the more principled Cardinal Lawrence.
The conservative candidate, Cardinal Tedesco, meanwhile presents as an Italian nationalist, a radical traditionalist, an Islamophobe, and a generally unlikable personality. Unlike the liberal characters who at least have layers and nuances, this character is rather one-dimensional.
The only other possibly conservative candidate is Joshua Adeyemi, the disgraced African Cardinal. All we know about his political views comes from Cardinal Bellini who says he’s homophobic.
It is fair to say then that the film fails to provide any true complexity to the conservative candidates. They are under-developed and generally unsympathetic. The liberal candidates don’t fare well either, but at least we gain insight into the complexity of their inner struggles.
The true hero of the story is the surprise Cardinal Benitez who was a Mexican Archbishop working in Afghanistan and secretly confirmed as a Cardinal by the late Pope. As all the various papal candidates are exposed, he eventually becomes the leading candidate. Little is known about him, but he appears genuinely holy and inspirational. His experience of war and his speech at just the right moment exposes the xenophobia and narrowmindedness of Cardinal Tedesco. He seems to transcend the liberal-conservative political power plays going on with his Christ-like heart-piercing statements. At the end of the day, holiness and genuine conviction prevails, and Cardinal Benitez is elected Pope.
Plot synopsis and major spoiler alert!
The surprise ending is that Cardinal Benitez is intersex. He is not gay or trans, but intersex, which means that he was born with some sort of sexual ambiguity. The film does not make it clear what was known at birth or at puberty, but the implication is that he thought he was male, but that post-ordination to the priesthood, and in his early 30’s, it was discovered after an appendectomy that he possessed a uterus and ovaries. The implication is that Cardinal Benitez is technically, or at least genetically, a woman. It is unclear to what extent he also had male genitalia. We also learn that Benitez was honest with the Pope about his condition and the Pope recommended (but apparently did not require) an operation to remove the female organs. Benitez considered going through with the procedure but then changed his mind. The Pope was still willing to make him a cardinal.
Incidentally, the novel (which was the basis for the film) provides more detail about Benitez’s medical situation. We are told the treatment in Geneva would have been a clitoropexy, as well as the fusion of the labia major and minora. Perhaps Benitez had a large clitoris and no vagina? It is medically possible. We also learn as well that as a child he and his parents (in the book version they were not very educated people in the Philippines) believed he was a boy.
In any case, Cardinal Lawrence discovers this truth after Benitez is elected Pope, but before he is installed. Lawrence must decide what to do with this information. He could expose Benitez and possibly become Pope himself. At the end of the day, he chooses to burn all the evidence and allow the installation of Cardinal Benitez as Pope Innocent (a name choice that also implies the character’s innocence despite his condition).
Is this film a manipulative left-wing propaganda piece?
Is this film a leftist propaganda piece? I will say a qualified no, and give the film creators the benefit of the doubt and not assume they are merely out to damage the Church. Yes, it leans heavily left. The conservative characters are one-dimensional, the liberal ones are flawed but complex. The true hero is the one who appears to transcend political self-interest, but nevertheless still represents a political position. What is this position? That we need to question the certainty, reality, and role of gender as well as the role of women in the Church.
In a film that was otherwise relatively realistic, this twist feels a bit surreal, and rather heavy handed. After a bit of research I discovered that intersex conditions affect 1-2% of the population, much higher than I might have expected. So maybe the scenario is not quite as “impossible” as I might have imagined. Still, the idea that a Pope would elect a Cardinal knowing he was genetically female, and then a Cardinal would hide this information from the Church and the world at large is highly problematic. It is a violation of Canon Law and a deception, no matter how sympathetic one might be to the particular individual’s situation.
Is this film a modern parable with something to teach us?
Is the film a parable? Does it have something to teach us? Yes, I still think it does. The film does depict what most conservative Catholics have been decrying for some time which is the corruption and lack of heroic Christian witness in the Church’s leadership. It does not, however, present or support the ideal that most conservative Christians would like to see replacing this politicized curia. There is definitely no Saint Nicholas slapping Arius in this film. But there isn’t even a positive representation of scandal-free and traditional prelates such as Cardinal Sarah, Cardinal Muller, or Cardinal Eijk.
True enough, there is a lack of female representation and feminine influence in the Church’s leadership, and this is made painfully evident as we see the male dominated College of Cardinals stumble around in their politicking. Sister Agnes is the principled nun who powerlessly witnesses all the scandals. She is the one, nevertheless, who reluctantly reveals the truth when Lawrence insists on continuing his investigations. But women, unless you count Cardinal Benitez, do not have any role in the decision making and this film puts a spotlight on that reality.
All of Jesus’ parables have “shockers”: the Shepherd leaves the flock for one disobedient sheep, the father forgives his prodigal son, the weed becomes the Kingdom, the guy who is forgiven much does not forgive others, the Samaritan is holier than the priests and Levites…These parables turn our expectations on their head. Similarly, the shocker in this particular parable, the movie Conclave, is that the holiest, the most courageous, the most inspirational papal candidate is in fact genetically a woman. Is it left-leaning? Is it manipulative? Is it contrived? Perhaps. Is it biased. Yes, it is. But does it stir our conscience? Cause us to self-reflect? Challenge our assumptions? Yes, I think it does that as well.
If the message is that we need to be less political, less “conservative,” less “liberal,” and focus on serving the poor and the suffering, and that we need to be more holy, and more Christ-like, then I can support that. I may be giving the film too much credit, but I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. The truth is that the film does put a spotlight on both the lack of unity and the broken humanity in our Church leadership. But not only that, it reveals a deeper problem within, not only in the episcopate, but among the laity as well. Despite the beauty of our liturgies, despite the good works done throughout the world, despite the powerful message of the Gospel, we can be a divided and factious group – and this undermines our witness, and it undermines the building of the Kingdom of God.
How can this film be understood from a parts work approach?
What is the parts perspective then? That we, the Church, are the body of Christ, but we also carry burdens. We are burdened with careerism like Cardinal Tremblay, self-interest like Cardinal Bellini, sexual sin like Cardinal Adeyemi, xenophobia like Cardinal Tedesco, and spiritual struggles like Cardinal Lawrence. We see the many broken and misguided parts within the Church, and perhaps even the many lost parts within ourselves. We strive for internal unity, internal harmony, but we have parts that are ambitious, wishy-washy, reactive, lustful, and weak. But we also can receive a call to conscience from the inmost self as Cardinal Benitez offers to the rest of the College of Cardinals. And perhaps we need to accept some parts of ourselves that other parts find unacceptable. As Benitez says, “I was who I had always been. I am what God made me. Perhaps my difference will make me more useful.”
All interesting films have some sort of agenda and there is one here as well. As critical thinkers we can accept or reject the agenda, but interesting films nevertheless force us to think, to confront, to discuss, to debate, and to self-reflect. I think this film, despite its flaws, does exactly that. This film does not make my personal list of “favorite” films by any stretch; I am unlikely to ever want to watch it again, whereas I have rewatched The Trouble with Angels, The Mission and Of Gods and Men many times. It isn’t inspirational in the conventional sense, but perhaps despite itself, it is a call to conscience for a shrinking (at least in the West, especially in Western Europe) and often politicized Church to resolve its differences, not by further polarizations and left/right agendas, but by connecting to the person and ministry of Jesus Christ.
Christ is among us!
Dr. Gerry Crete is the author of Litanies of the Heart: Relieving Post-traumatic Stress and Calming Anxiety Through Healing Our Parts which is published by Sophia Institute Press. He is the founder of Transfiguration Counseling and Coaching, Transfiguration Life, and co-founder of Souls and Hearts. Check out all Dr. Gerry’s movie and TV series reviews in our “Parting Thoughts” archive.
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New IIC podcast episode with Dr. Gerry
In this 102-minute Interior Integration for Catholics episode 159 Dr. Gerry Crete helps us unravel the confusion within us, why we have such deep internal conflicts and tensions that pull us in different directions and tear at our hearts. St. Paul tells us in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
What’s up with that? Parts. Parts are up with that, that’s what – or who.
And in this episode, Dr. Gerry and Bridget Adams shed so much light on our internal experience in our fallen human condition. Join us to learn about how parts, despite their good intentions and desires to help us, can generate impulses toward addictions and other problematic and even sinful behaviors.
Learn how critical it is for parts to be integrated, to collaborate cooperatively with your inmost self, and most importantly, how parts can join in your loving God and neighbor with your whole heart in Dr. Gerry’s experiential exercise. Video Audio
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Physicians, therapists, counselors, priests, spiritual directors, and other formators — heal thyselves.
Priests, therapists, counselors, spiritual directors, seminary staff – any Catholic who individually accompanies others in formation is a “formator.”
So often, the greatest obstacle to deeply connecting with those we accompany is within our own hearts – unresolved conflicts among our parts, unmetabolized traumas, transferences, projections, displacements, unconscious assumptions or beliefs, repressed or suppressed emotions, and so many defense mechanisms or coping strategies directed toward who we accompany in order to try to protect us – all of these and so much more can get in the way of us being fully present in formation work with others.
You need to care for yourself. You need to love yourself before you can deeply love anyone else, as Dr. Peter explains in this reflection.
At Souls and Hearts, we provide ongoing human formation to Catholic formators. Learn how to apply IFS concepts to your personal life, let us help you focus deliberately on your own human formation in an established 10-session program with outside reading and inner work in our Formation for Formators (FFF) Community.
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New and advanced groups start March of 2025; a few are nearly full already. Put a deposit down now to hold your seat. Find out more here and go here for registration and for the days, times, and the leaders of each group.
Join us for a free informational meeting on Zoom about the FFF on Thursday evening, February 6, 2025, from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM Eastern Time. We will discuss the Foundation Experiential Groups (FEGs) and the advanced groups, and shed light on the opportunities and benefits of an FFF membership. Click here to register for that live meeting.
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