Life imitates art? 'Conclave' comparisons to 2025 papal election
MANILA, Philippines — Catholics and cinephiles find themselves converging on a single space as many find similarities between the upcoming papal election and the 2024 Oscar-winning movie "Conclave," which dramatized that very event.
Pope Francis was laid to rest in Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary Major after his passing last April 21, Easter Monday, at age 88, which led to several days of mourning and the gathering of the College of Cardinals.
The cardinals will come together in the famous Sistine Chapel beginning May 7 to decide who will become the next leader of the Catholic Church.
Such discussions will take place behind closed doors as it has for centuries, so in the meantime, people can instead look to "Conclave" for a glimpse of what could happen since many have pointed out similar things in the film that could occur in real time.
The following includes spoilers from "Conclave" and the book it is based on by Robert Harris.
Death of a progressive pope
"Conclave" begins with the death of an unnamed pope who was considered progressive compared to his predecessors, hence why the liberal cardinals are pushing for Stanley Tucci's Aldo Bellini to be elected lest a conservative successor "undoes 40 years of progress."
Many people viewed Pope Francis, the first Latin-American pope, as the most progressive leader of Catholic Church in modern history — over predecessor Benedict XVI, while John Paul II had some progressive values but still believed in the Church's conservative teaching.
Related: 'Conclave,' 'The Two Popes' viewership rises after Pope Francis' death
African favorite
In the film, the initial frontrunner is the social conservative Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi from Nigeria played by "Game of Thrones" actor Lucian Msamati.
Adeyemi winning would have made him the first pope from Sub-Saharan Africa. The only African popes have all come from modern-day Tunisia — Gelasius I, Miltiades, and Victor I.
There are currently two African cardinals considered "papabile" or a contender to be the next Supreme Pontiff: Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu from Congo and Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana.
Both men are theologically very conservative. Turkson leans left politically while Besungu is known to be against same-sex marriage (a belief shared by the fictional Adeyemi).
Catholicism is growing in Africa, hence why some people believe it is possible the world may see its first African pope in over a millenium.
Banned cardinal
The Vatican's Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, who presides over the cardinal electors and himself a "papabile," recently presented letters from Pope Francis to convicted Cardinal Angelo Becciu that effectively ban him from the upcoming conclave.
Related: Pope Francis' letter bans convicted cardinal from conclave
Becciu, a former close adviser to Pope Francis, was convicted in December 2023 to five years in jail for embezzlement, aggravated fraud, and abuse of office.
The news drew instant comparison to a plotline in "Conclave" where the late pope stripped John Lithgow's ambitious Cardinal Joseph Tremblay from Canada, a moderate yet mainstream conservative, from his positions.
The move is significant as Tremblay becomes the next frontrunner after Adeyemi as the liberals want to prevent Italian traditionalist Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) from earning votes, however, Tremblay is revealed to have schemes of his own not unlike Becciu.
A Filipino pope?
In the original book by Robert Harris, the eventual pope is Filipino Vincent Benitez, the Archbishop of Baghdad whom the late pope created a cardinal "in pectore" (in secret).
The movie changes Benitez's origin to Mexico and is played by Carlos Diehz. He is also now the Archbishop Kabul and had missions in some of the most difficult nations.
There are three Filipino cardinals voting in the conclave — Luis Antonio "Chito" Tagle, Jose Advincula, and Pablo Virgilio David — with Tagle a heavy favorite to become the first-ever pope from Asia.
RELATED: How did 'Conclave,' 'The Two Popes' shoot Sistine Chapel scenes?
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