The Curia is a strange place where cardinals live, and ambition is rife along with vice, jealousy, bigotry, and lies
Line of Events
When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the most secret and ancient events in the world, the election of a new pope, he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundations of the Catholic Church. Based on Robert Harris’ 2016 novel Conclave… Sister Agnes: Although we, the Sisters, are supposed to be invisible, God has given us eyes and ears. “Only those who do not seek power are qualified to hold it.” Plato There are many mysteries in the Catholic Church, from the virgin birth to transubstantiation, but rarely will you witness a mystery you can solve. Conclave, a thriller about a fictional papal election, reveals more about the ambitions of the many “papabili” (those qualified to become pope) than it does about doctrine.
Surely there is no need for faith,” he sermonizes
Dean Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is almost devoid of ambition (see Plato’s proverb above). As a result, ambitious gossip reaches him, and therefore us. At times, this intrigue seems to have been plucked straight from our current presidential election, where, as November approaches, we hear even more gossip and plain malice. Lawrence, a dignified man with scruples, speaks to why his own doubts are characteristic of emerging wisdom: “Faith is a living thing because it goes hand in hand with doubt.
But you can rely on the nuns, especially Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini), to watch and only interfere when necessary
“Let us elect a pope who doubts.” Because Lawrence, a candidate who is certain in himself, as pope will drag the institution back without keeping it fresh and contemporary. Director Edgar Berger steers with a steady hand in the intimate moments kept away from the crowds waiting for the Vatican smoke to announce the new pope. Such a mystery lends itself to a good thriller, the secret being nectar for an audience that can claim to be privy to everything. In addition to the clues and musings, we watch the human drama of the competition for the top prize and the not-so-great candidates.
And a pinch of doubt
After a revelation or two, it all settles down to what it is, a good thriller with the College of Cardinals providing juicy bad boys. Not all popes have been perfectly saintly: witness Pope John Paul II’s cover-up of sexual abuse cases and Pope Benedict XVI’s former Hitler Youth. Or read Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons. But in this brazenly fictional conclave, the cardinals can choose a man who “sins and asks for forgiveness.” Or the Platonic choice of lacking ambition.