26/48
After the pope dies, his ring (called the Fisherman’s Ring) is removed and destroyed
When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events, the election of a new pope, he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundations of the Catholic Church. Many of the actions that Cardinal Lawrence and the other cardinals take during the conclave in the film are true and accurate to the Catholic faith and centuries of tradition. The Vatican officially declares the throne of the Holy See (the governing body of the Catholic Church) vacant. The papal residence is closed with a scarlet ribbon and sealed with a wax papal seal. The College of Cardinals is confined to their apartments (Domus Sanctae Marthae, the House of Saint Martha) to eat and sleep between votes.
And therefore there is no need for faith
Finally, the windows and doors of the Sistine Chapel, where the actual election and voting take place, are blacked out, closed, and locked to maintain the secrecy of the conclave. It is stated that Ayendi will be the first African pope. The Roman Catholic Church has had three African popes: Victor I (189-199 AD), Miltiades (also known as Melchiades, 311-314 AD), and Gelasius I (492-496 AD). Lawrence: Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there were only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery.
Featured on The 7PM Project: episode of December 10, 2024 (2024)
Let us pray that God will give us a Pope who doubts. And may He give us a Pope who sins and seeks forgiveness and who moves on.. Allegri: Miserere Performed by Capella Musicale Pontificia Sistina, Massimo Palombella Courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon GMBH Under license from Universal Music Operations Ltd. For starters, without Ralph Fiennes, the film would be far below par. Fiennes is a hugely underrated actor in his career in my opinion.
You can feel his character struggling to remain objective
He is fantastic in this role as he tries to lead the election of the next Pope. At times he has to decide when to make a decision about whether to get involved or to cross the line to ensure fair play in a sense. I have been putting off this review because I have taken the time to reflect on the direction the filmmakers have decided to take. Breaking it down, my feelings for him are becoming less and less. While it is interesting as you are in the theater later on you realize that you have only been watching rumors and gossip about the various cardinals.
The film is truly a one man show
You don’t see any behind the scenes action or the development of the other characters or candidates for the papacy. The score and sound greatly elevate what would otherwise be very dull scenes. Finally, the ending just throws everything out the window. Most of the film feels like what one would expect if the Vatican elections were to go ahead, but the ending is just terribly unrealistic and somewhat insulting to the rest of the film. It seems like Hollywood just couldn’t help but insert itself and show the point where it wasn’t needed.
