In two days, on Wednesday, May 7, the Catholic Church will begin the conclave to choose the next pope. This episode is about that process. There are more than 50 million Catholics in the United States.

The film “Conclave”, released in the fall of 2024, features the Catholic church’s process of electing a new pope, which process is called a conclave. In the fictional movie, the cardinal in charge of this conclave finds himself investigating secrets and scandals about several of the Cardinals who were possibly close to becoming the next pope.

The response from the Catholic community has been mixed. John Mulderig of the Catholic OSV News said that "rival viewpoints within the church are caricatured with a broad brush ... and the deck is predictably stacked in favor of those who advocate change". He warned that "all moviegoers committed to the church's creeds will want to approach this earnest, visually engaging but manipulative—and sometimes sensationalist—production with caution".  On the other hand, the progressive National Catholic Reporter praised the film, calling it "a compelling and ecclesial call for a renewed spiritual stewardship characterized by humility, meekness, and, curiously, doubt".

In that spirit, we asked a church historian who has studied papal conclaves to share thoughts about the process of choosing a pope against the background of this movie.

We have invited Dr. Christopher Bellitto to discuss this with us. Dr. Bellitto is a medievalist, a church historian, and Professor of History at Kean University in Union, NJ, where he teaches courses in ancient and medieval history. He is a frequent public speaker and media commentator on church history and contemporary Catholicism. His book, Humility: the Secret History of a Lost Virtue, was published in 2023 and can be purchased here.

This is the second Religion in the American Experience episode responding to recent movies with a main focus on something religious. The other episode is an interview with a church historian of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who addressed American Primeval.