The Vatican announced Monday that Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. The pope died after suffering a cerebral stroke that put him in a coma, followed by heart failure.
“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in the official statement by the Vatican. “He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and the marginalized.”
Now, the process for determining the next pope will begin. Over the next 15 to 20 days, the College of Cardinals will convene in Rome to participate in the papal conclave. There are 135 cardinals. A cardinal must be under age 80 to vote in the conclave.
The cardinals participating in the conclave swear an oath of secrecy and will have no contact with the outside world. They will deliberate in the Sistine Chapel and live in private quarters in the Domus Marthae Sanctae. The College of Cardinals will cast as many as four ballots a day. To win, a pope needs a two-thirds majority. The ballots are then burned. If the smoke is black, it’s an inconclusive vote, while white smoke signals a new pope has been elected.
The papal election process is dramatized in Conclave, the 2024 thriller based on Richard Harris’ 2016 novel of the same name. Directed by Edward Berger, Conclave follows the process of selecting a new pope after the current one dies of a heart attack. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), the dean of the College of Cardinals, has been tasked with spearheading the election. When a secret threatens to disrupt the conclave, Cardinal Lawrence must search for the truth before the group elects the next pope.
Is Conclave streaming?
Almost! As of April 21, Conclave is only available to rent or buy on services like Apple, Amazon, or Google. However, patient viewers will soon be rewarded as Conclave begins streaming on Prime Video at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT on April 22.
While Conclave is not based on a real election, the movie is an entertaining thriller with political maneuvering, salacious drama, and a controversial twist that split the audience’s opinion over the ending.
Nominated for eight Oscars, Conclave won Best Adapted Screenplay (Peter Straughan).