Conclave (2024) Review

 

 With an actual Conclave about to happen to elect a New Pope after the passing Pope Francis I, I thought I would see the film that would give some insight into how the Papal Throne will be filled once more. I have to commend that this movie is riveting, Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and the rest of cast preform their roles with such talent they no doubt should be considered Oscar worthy. I found myself caught up in this conclave of clandestine maneuvers of intrigues and investigations. The film is both a great epic about how Conclaves are conducted and a mystery about the late Pope's death, and certain persons, one a Cardinal that may have been defrocked named Cardinal Tremblay, and another Benize, who was made Cardinal in secret by the Pope. 

The Cinematography is breathtaking, and ever attention to detail from Latin said casting ballots, to the dining rooms, and what the Curia conducts themselves is sublime, and worthy of an Oscar. There were some moments in the film I felt rather moved by the homilies or words of Cardinals, one in particular that really stayed with me comes from Cardinal Wozniak, "the point is we will never find that a candidate who doesn't have any kind of black mark against them. We're mortal men. We serve an ideal. We cannot always be ideal." The idea that we serve an ideal, and not always ideal is well said, "to error is human, to forgive divine." While some may scoff at this as a excuse for the Papacy's bungling of the sexual scandals, I do consider those who were victimized's feelings, however, how I interpreted that line is that we serve the Ideal, Jesus Christ, who is perfect, while we are not perfect. The Apostle Peter denied Jesus three times, Thomas doubted The Resurrection, James and John had tempers and Jesus nicknamed them "Sons of Thunder," and so forth. That to serve the Ideal, our Lord Jesus, we do not have to be ideal, that is perfect all the time, or why else did Christ have to die on the cross but for our failings? 

Cardinal Lawrence, who is played by the brilliant Ralph Fiennes, gives a Homily about Doubt that I think is beautiful, "Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. Even Christ was not certain at the end. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" he cried out in his agony at the ninth hour on the cross. Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand-in-hand with doubt. If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery. And therefore, no need for faith." We as Protestants do not sit well with doubts, we somehow think its a betrayal, a lack of faith, and so we look to Scripture and scholars to assuage our doubts. If we can just find the right passage, doubt will go away. That may work for a while until a life event hits you and you begin to question God's Goodness. I think the Roman Catholic concept of The Dark Night of the Soul and Wrestling with Doubt is a good thing. It is very Thomian, like the Apostle Thomas who doubted, and yet is one of first at Jesus' Resurrection to bow down and say, "My Lord and My God!" (John 20:28). Thomas who doubted, is the One who properly identifies Jesus as Lord! Which is what we have to do to be saved, "Anyone who confesses Jesus as Lord and believes God raised Him from the Dead shall be saved," (Romans 10:9) and that all will one day do, "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10-11). I think it can be great comfort to view our faith as walking hand in hand with doubt as Cardinal Lawrence states, that doubt is not a sign of weakness of faith, it is there because we have faith; that we say as Elizabeth Shaw in Prometheus says, "It is what I choose to believe."

Throughout the Conclave there is a battle between the Liberal or Progressive Catholic Cardinals and the Traditional Tridentine Cardinals. The Progressive ones like Bellini, played by Stanley Tucci, believes they must not undo sixty years of progress by allowing a Conservative Catholic to gain the Papal Throne. Pope Francis I was a Progressive, and sought to mutantar (mutate) the Church, even recognizing same sex unions if he could. The battle between Progressive and Conservative Cardinals is going to happen soon in the Real Conclave, and this movie gives insight into the ideologies, though it vilifies the Traditionalists like Tedesco as reactionary and Islamophobic. No doubt people want someone to continue Pope Francis' progressive path, and yet if the Romanite Church keeps mutating, will it eventually mutate itself into irrelevance? 

The major twist at the end, when Benitz who is selected as Pope turns out to be a woman biologically with a male exterior, or Hermaphrodite as he labels himself was clearly a Hollywood fever dream. To place a Woman or Biologically Natural Transgender on the Papal Throne. It reminded me of the legends of Pope Joan, who was said to be secretly a woman Pope. The film closes with Lawrence having learned this and keeping it to himself, and smiling when Benitz is made Vicar of Christ and Holy Father of the Roman Catholic Church. No doubt there are some in Curia who would actually welcome this in reality, for in the book In The Closet of the Vatican, Fredric Martel interviewed Cardinals and Clerics who all confessed they commit sodomy (homosexual acts with each other), and molest altar boys. On EWTN (Eternal World Television Network/ Catholic) one Clergyman pointed out that China's Govt has inserted Cardinals loyal to CPC (Communist Party of China). Thus the Real Conclave about to be commenced this month will garner a lot of attention from Catholics, Protestants, and secular people alike. 

Conclave the Film is clearly intended to raise alarms about if the Curia does not select another Progressive. It aim is to paint Traditional Catholics as obese, overbearing, and oppressive like Cardinal Tedesco or compromised, duplicitous, and hypocritical like The African Cardinal Ademeyi who the Progressive sabotage. The truth is, if the See of Rome is to survive, it needs a traditionalist to get back to the Roman Catholic essentials. The Eucharist Revival is bearing fruit in France, and many youths are turning to Jesus in The United Kingdom and the United States, to support this one must elect a traditionalist and literalist, not a progressive and liberal. It is quite possible this will happen, since the world is swinging in pendulum towards traditional and conservative at the moment, and that is how things have been, progressive moves and then conservative changes back, as people are not content with either path of sticking solely to the old, or the radical changes of the new perspective. The Papacy probably would benefit from a Moderate Pope who is both traditional and progressive, keeping what is essential to their church and reforming where its needed like in allowing women larger roles and dealing with the sexual scandals with greater fervor and success.

Clearly this film is meant to indoctrinate people into supporting progressive Catholicism, and the hope one day there will be Transgender Papa. The way the Romans are evolving it is quite possible that 'dream' will be realized one day, but not this Conclave in May, no the choice will be another Francis or to pick a Conservative. If I was a betting man, I would say the next pope will  be a Conservative, however, is Nostradamus' Prophecy is true about the Popes, Francis was the last pope, and what comes next will usher in the Antichrist. As regards this film, do I recommend it? If you are Mature Christian that wants some insight into who the Conclave this May will be conducted, then yes, watch the film, but be mindful that it is full of progressive ideals that are not in line with The Holy Bible. I found it entertaining, and some of the statements the characters make are useful, as I mentioned earlier, but make no mistake, this film is propaganda, its aim is the Globalist Progressive Agenda. Amen.