Vatican City is preparing for a secret meeting of cardinals who will elect a successor to Pope Francis. The conclave, also known as the “Princes of the Church,” is expected to start between May 6 and May 11.
Contrary to popular perception from the movie “Conclave,” which won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay, Vatican officials say the real process is not about “backroom plotting” or high-level power games. Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who participated in Francis’s election, emphasizes that the papal election is guided by a desire to follow God’s will and guide millions of Catholics worldwide.
The conclave follows general congregations among cardinals, where they discuss possible candidates for the papacy. The process has remained largely unchanged since medieval times, with cardinals locked away in the Sistine Chapel until a two-thirds majority is reached.
In an interview, Pope Francis broke the confidentiality rule by discussing machinations and plot twists during his election, which some see as a rare insight into the real workings of the Vatican. “Cardinals swear not to reveal what happens in the conclave,” he said, but added that popes have a “licence to tell it.”
While there is no clear frontrunner this time around, British bookmakers have named Luis Antonio Tagle and Pietro Parolin as early favorites. Author Robert Harris views the conclave as an “extraordinary drama” within the Renaissance-era Vatican walls.
As interest in the story surges after Pope Francis’s death, entertainment industry data firm Luminate reported a significant surge in U.S. streaming viewership figures for “Conclave.”
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/forget-film-vatican-is-preparing-real-conclave-2025-04-23