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Conclave As A Model for Disruption at Its Finest

Editor’s Note: This week’s article is a review of the film Conclave (2024). Enjoy!

Conclave is a rare gem. This papal succession thriller is based on the novel by Robert Harris and set in the heart of the Vatican. It is a film I’d recommend to all Christians, regardless of their denomination, and non-Christians as well. Not only is it expertly directed, scripted, and acted, and not only does it have a gripping plot with plenty of twists and turns, but it also delivers deeply contemplated theology.

In particular, Conclave has a lot to say about the place and role of women in the church. But before I get to that, a brief summary of the plot is in order. Don’t worry—I won’t give spoilers.

The film follows Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), dean of the Vatican and most senior member of the Roman Catholic Church after the pope, as he manages the conclave—the sequestered gathering of 108 cardinals during which a new pope is elected. Lawrence wants to resign from his position, but he gradually and reluctantly realises that he may be the pope’s best successor if the church is not to rapidly regress sixty years.

At stake is how the Roman Catholic Church should engage with all groups of people who are not male Catholics. Holding the candle for this rather large group of people is the liberal Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci). Early on, he explicitly says he wants to rethink how the church engages with people traditionally excluded from full participation, such as non-Catholic Christians, women, LGBTQ+ people, and those of other faiths.

For those of us who aren’t Catholic (me included), or who have made up their own minds on these divisive topics, or indeed who have been scarred by abuses committed by any church, one might wonder whether this film can say anything new to us. If we see the Roman Catholic Church as a regressive and outmoded, or even harmful institution, then we may well have little wish to watch a group of men debate how best to inch the church along the path of progress. But if we’re willing to see the conclave as a place where “two or more are gathered” in the name of Jesus (Matt. 18:20), then our minds need to be more open.

My view is that Conclave has much to say to all of us.

The film’s thesis, stated by Lawrence as he opens the conclave, is that the sin he has come to fear most is that of certainty. He names variety as God’s gift to the church and the characteristic that gives the church its strength. He then describes certainty as “the enemy of unity.”

This speech is clearly directed at the cardinals of the conclave, but it’s also directed at viewers, including those of us who are not Catholic. How certain are we that we have nothing positive to learn from the Roman Catholic Church or other churches from which we feel alienated? For those of us who hold egalitarian beliefs, how uncompromising should we be in our attitudes toward those who do uphold hierarchical and discriminatory institutions?

When the film does nod in the direction of anyone not male and Catholic, it usually directs our attention toward women. This is perhaps unsurprising because, being set within the conclave, only Catholic nuns are permitted to be present and let their difference from the Cardinals be visible.

For the most part, the nuns are silent skilled labourers who administer the living arrangements of the cardinals. The camera reminds the audience of their presence several times, but it’s the newcomer Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz) who reminds the cardinals: when he says grace and gives thanks for their food, he also prays for the nuns who prepared it. His prayer is an unexpected and disruptive act, yet so within the spirit of Christianity that no one in the room can openly object to it.

Then there’s Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) who, we should note, is the only woman to speak on screen in the entire film. Agnes plays an indispensable role in giving Lawrence access to the information he needs to uncover the misdeeds of a cardinal before he can be elected to the papacy. At first, she helps Lawrence because he asks for her help and justifies himself to her, but later she helps him voluntarily and even goes out of her way to address all the cardinals in the room. She reminds them that although the nuns are meant to be invisible, God gave them eyes and ears. When she concludes her speech, she gives “the most passive-aggressive curtsey in cinema history.”_¹

We also see Lawrence commit various disruptive and even transgressive actions in the course of the film, but they are all selflessly done with the goal of upholding the institution and the moral compass of the church. (Which is especially interesting given his crisis of confidence in the church.) In many ways, Lawrence serves as a foil to Bellini who, though earnestly wanting to see the church move forward, does not want to disrupt the conclave for fear that doing so will undermine the church’s reputation. Bellini is also pragmatic in his willingness to support a candidate he dislikes, knowing that this cardinal would be better than many previous popes in history. Meanwhile, Lawrence disdains Bellini’s argument as voting for the “least worst option.”

It’s hard not to empathise with both men—and that is perhaps the point. In Conclave, we see how difficult it is for even a privileged group of people to steer the course of such a large and ancient institution.

But of course, their sequestered bubble is not impenetrable—either by outside events or God. By the time the film ends, I can’t help but feel like God has had the final word.

For myself, coming from a Protestant tradition, within a country that has many prominent Christian denominations, it would be easy to think that the best solution to any institutional problem is to leave or dismantle the institution itself. And while I would hesitate to say that it’s never appropriate to shake the dust off our feet (Matt. 10:14), Conclave reminds me that there are indeed other approaches. Disruption that is unreproachable in spirit, free from ambition and spite, patient and the least aggressive, disruption that respects order but won’t be completely bound by it—this is what the film models for us.

I am fortunate to belong to a denomination that supports the inclusion of women in ministry and other forms of leadership, but many Christians don’t have this freedom or any realistic option of leaving their church or denomination. I therefore believe that those of us who share my privilege need to respect and support those who do choose to participate within churches that are more discriminatory. Participation in such contexts can be frustrating and wearying, but it should not be mistaken for acceptance or resignation. Instead, participation holds the potential for good kinds of disruption which, at its best, is an act of anticipation that God can, and will, act in these places.

Conclave rightly and powerfully reminds me of this hope.

¹ Wendy Ide, “Conclave review – Ralph Fiennes is almighty in thrilling papal tussle,” The Guardian, December 1, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/dec/01/conclave-review-ralph-fiennes-is-almighty-in-thrilling-papal-tussle-edward-berger-robert-harris-isabella-rossellini-5-stars.