Setting the Record Straight: The Real Conclave vs. Hollywood’s “Conclave”

With the passing of Pope Francis, it’s no surprise that curiosity about the conclave process has exploded — especially with the release of the movie Conclave (2024).

But now more than ever, it’s crucial we separate fact from fiction.

Bishop William Nolan, Archbishop of Glasgow, put it simply:
“I didn’t watch it — I was there.”
He acknowledged the film captured some elements correctly — but much was sensationalized to sell movie tickets.
The portrayal of egos, backroom deals, and political scheming?
Far from the reality he witnessed firsthand.

The truth is:
The papal conclave is not a political circus. It is a sacred event — a solemn act of obedience to the Holy Spirit.
Cardinals are locked away, not to strategize power, but to fall on their knees before God and shoulder the terrifying responsibility of choosing Peter’s successor.
It is prayer, not politics, that fills the Sistine Chapel during a conclave.

But Hollywood cannot comprehend this.
They project worldly ambition onto heavenly matters because they no longer recognize anything higher than power.
The real danger is that millions who know little of the Catholic faith will walk away believing fiction is fact — and feed a growing cynicism at a time when the world desperately needs faith, reverence, and truth.

Make no mistake:
Evil has entered the walls of the Church, just as it stalks the world outside.
We are a Church of sinners, not of saints.
But what defines the Church is not the failures of men — it is the faithfulness of Christ.

That is why at the center of every parish, in every city and village across the world, stands the Crucifix.
Not a gold throne.
Not a politician’s podium.
A battered, crucified Savior.
Because the Crucifix tells the real story:

This is what sin causes.
This is what love endures.
This is what forgiveness costs.
This is what life conquering death looks like.
It answers every question — about suffering, about evil, about joy.
It shows us what we do, and what we fail to do.
It reveals the cost — and the victory — of redemption.

The Church survives not because her people are perfect, but because her Founder is.
The conclave is not a story of ambition.
It is a miracle of faith renewed, against all odds, every single time.

Hollywood can tell stories.
The Crucified Christ tells the Truth.
And in the end — only one of those will stand forever.

Seek the truth.
Seek the Church.
Seek Christ.