In a recent post on his popular blog, Cardinal O’Malley discusses Conclave, the critically acclaimed film that has already won multiple BAFTA awards and is a strong contender at the upcoming Academy Awards on March 2, with nominations in eight categories.
Although you might be surprised that a religious-themed film — dubbed a political thriller — has proved so successful, there’s no denying that from a cinematographic point of view, the movie is stunning. Furthermore, the acting is certainly Oscar-worthy, with acclaimed actor Ralph Fiennes putting on a sterling performance as a troubled dean of Cardinals.
While we’ve previously spoken about the movie’s numerous flaws, and moments where it does reflect what goes on when the Church’s prelates gather to make a momentous decision, it’s interesting to get some insight from Cardinal O’Malley, former Archbishop of Boston, who took part in the conclave that saw the now Pope Francis elected as pontiff.
A movie lacking in spiritual reality
The 80-year-old prelate took to his blog to share his thoughts of the movie when asked: “Was it really like that?” To which he explained:
“My answer is, no, it wasn’t really like that.
The author, of course, has a surprise ending that I will not give away here, but my experience of being in at least one conclave was not that it was some sort of scene of political backroom plotting of how to get your candidate elected. It was an experience of a very intense retreat where there was much prayer and silence and listening to conferences on spiritual themes.
Throughout the process, we had a very acute awareness that millions of Catholics around the world were praying for us so that the Holy Spirit would guide us in our deliberations. And, of course, at the moment when each cardinal votes, you take your ballot, stand in front of Michelangelo’s image of Christ in the Last Judgment and swear before God that you are going to vote for the person that you believe is God’s will for the Church.
It’s a much different experience than what they depicted in the movie. For all its artistic and entertainment value, I don’t think the movie is a good portrayal of the spiritual reality of what a conclave is.“
A final takeaway
It’s important to bear these thoughts in mind if you are considering watching the movie.
If there is something positive to take away from Conclave itself, it’s that people are curious to know what happens during such events that have shaped the Church since its very beginning. And this curiosity allows Catholics to not only educate themselves more, but to try and share their knowledge with others.
And today we celebrate...