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April 23, 2025 / 12:43 PM EDT / CBS News
Roman Catholic cardinals have begun assembling at the Vatican to schedule the upcoming conclave—the secretive process that will elect Pope Francis‘ successor—as mourners continue filing through Saint Peter’s Square to pay their final respects to the late pontiff.
A film released last year has sparked new interest in the process to choose a new pontiff.
What is the papal conclave?
The papal conclave—a centuries-old tradition that will determine Pope Francis’s successor—will begin 15 to 20 days after his death. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, only Cardinal Electors under 80 years old (approximately 135 cardinals) will participate in this secretive process.
Tuesday’s preliminary meeting marked the first in a series leading to the conclave. During the actual conclave, cardinals will cast paper ballots in complete privacy until one candidate achieves a two-thirds-plus-one majority. After each voting round, the ballots are burned—sending black smoke through the chapel’s chimney to indicate no decision, or white smoke when a new pope has been selected.
The papal transition has renewed interest in “Conclave,” a Hollywood film about the secretive papal selection process. Released last year, the movie stars Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence, Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini, John Lithgow as Cardinal Tremblay and Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes.
Since the pope’s death on Monday after suffering a stroke and heart failure at the age of 88, it has become the second most-watched movie worldwide on Amazon Prime.
The film garnered critical acclaim, winning a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
How accurately does “Conclave” portray the process?
“I really enjoyed the movie. It’s a great drama, great music, great costumes, good dialog,” said Father Thomas Reese, a senior analyst at Religion News Service who has studied conclaves extensively. “But I noticed the little things that were wrong.”
One significant inaccuracy involves a secretly appointed cardinal who appears to participate in the conclave.
“No, he would never be allowed in,” Reese explained. “Cardinals have to be publicly proclaimed, announced by the pope.”
However, Reese confirms that the film accurately depicts the political dynamics among cardinals.
“The church is a divine institution, but it’s also a human institution. So there is a lot of discussion, a lot of lobbying,” he said.
The movie’s portrayal of voting procedures within the Sistine Chapel largely reflects reality, according to Reese.
“Certainly the whole process in the Sistine Chapel of how they vote, how they go up one by one and promise to elect the best person as pope,” he said.
Pope Francis’ funeral has been scheduled for 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. EST) on Saturday in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican announced.
Carter Evans has served as a Los Angeles-based correspondent for CBS News since February 2013, reporting across all of the network’s platforms. He joined CBS News with nearly 20 years of journalism experience, covering major national and international stories.
