Are you pope-pilled? Here's your guide to the 2025 Conclave.
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Who are the hosts and guests introducing this episode?
Hello, hello. I'm Brittany Luce, and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident. This week, we're connecting the dots between Hollywood, Vatican City, and Lampedusa. I know, I know. How are all of these places connected? Well, we're going to find out with NPR's religion correspondent, Jason DeRose, and the LAist's Antonia Serahito. Jason, Antonia, welcome to It's Been a Minute.
Hello. Thanks so much for having us.
All right, second question. If you were a cardinal in the Vatican right now, would you be one of the chain vapors? Like everyone's like third favorite cardinal from the 2024 film Conclave. Would you be chain vaping right now in the Vatican? Jason, would you?
What is the fictional portrayal of the Conclave and how does it compare to reality?
I would not be.
I love that principled answer. What about you, Antonia?
I've never vaped, but I feel like it looks cool when the cardinals do it, so maybe I'd be compelled by the vibe. I was a definite yes.
I actually don't vape myself at this point in my life. If I was doing something that consequential, I could see myself getting a little jewel. That's just my opinion. Now, I will say I loved the scenes of any cardinal vaping in the Academy Award-winning film Conclave. It follows a fictional portrayal of the papal conclave following the sudden death of a fictional pope. Sound familiar? And during this process, the cardinals, they get a little messy as they form political factions and jockey for votes to become the next pontiff. Well, we are about to see that same process play out next week as the world's cardinals converge on Vatican City. And there is quite a bit at stake here because these men are going to ultimately decide the ideological direction of a church with 1.4 billion followers globally. So that has me wondering, what are the current factions within the Catholic Church? How will Pope Francis's legacy impact the upcoming conclave? And what should we make of Catholicism's broader cultural influence right now?
I know, Jason, that you have seen the movie Conclave, like many of us have. But you are somebody that covers this stuff hard by. You are in Rome right now, okay? So I want to hear the real from you. How exactly does the Conclave work?
Well, after a pope dies, within 15 to 20 days, the eligible cardinals, which means any cardinal from around the world who is under the age of 80... comes to Rome, and they're having meetings right now, in fact, this week and early next week, where they're discussing all of the issues facing the church. And then next week, they will go to Mass, they will process into the Sistine Chapel.
How does the Vatican Conclave process work when electing a new pope?
Somebody will say, get out if you're not a cardinal, and they will lock them in. Only the eligible cardinals can be in there, and they will start voting.
Wow, okay. So what does the actual voting process look like?
So these cardinal electors will, on a ballot, a piece of paper, write down the name of the person they want to be pope. And then one at a time, they will walk up to the table at the front of the Sistine Chapel. They will put that piece of paper on a small plate. They will, with that plate, drop the piece of paper, the ballot, into a big chalice. And then after all of the electors have done that, They will draw the names out one at a time. And there will be three people sitting at that table. The first cardinal will read the name to himself. The next cardinal will read the name to himself. And the next cardinal will read the name aloud. Oh. So that they have three people confirming that that's what that name is.
I like that.
And then the last person who reads it aloud... will, with a needle, pierce the ballot and string it up. This is so that there aren't double votes. So it's this very ceremonial tradition of how the vote happens. And it's completely secret. In fact, the cardinals are asked to maybe disguise your handwriting, although I don't know how you would know anybody else's handwriting.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
Who are the hosts and guests introducing this episode?
0:18–1:11
2
What is the fictional portrayal of the Conclave and how does it compare to reality?
1:11–3:09
3
How does the Vatican Conclave process work when electing a new pope?
3:09–5:41
4
What are the current factions and global expectations within the Catholic Church?
5:41–7:41
5
How is the public reacting to potential candidates for the next pope?
7:41–9:40
6
What was Pope Francis's influence and legacy on the Catholic Church and the world?
9:40–13:05
7
How has Pope Francis engaged with social, environmental, and cultural issues?
13:05–19:59