With Pope Francis's Death, Now's the Time to See "Conclave"

[Pink Freud]

With the startling news this morning of the death of Pope Francis, just one day after leading Easter greetings from the loggia, it's a good time to check out "Conclave" if you haven't already. It's a really fascinating look at the internal workings of nominating a new pope, albeit fictional, but very credible.

Echoes of Three Mile Island and "The China Syndrome" occurring at the same time.

[MikoTython]

Conclave is, indeed, a bit of a not entirely implausible look inside the Vatican, College Of Cardinals, the process of politicking the Throne of St. Peter - one of the few remaining vestiges of a millennia-long process of leadership selection within the largest Church in Christendom.

Will be interesting to see what sort of successor follows Francis, the first Pope in history from the Global South. A Pope of consequence, celebrated by some, reviled by others.

He had a very, very interesting history & journey to the papacy, ups & downs, a central & controversial figure during the Argentine Junta, his relation to his home country remained complex :

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpdzy96xdzqo

https://churchandstate.org.uk/2024/01/p ... ary-junta/

[Pink Freud]

What the movie got right, and wrong, in the real-life process of replacing a pope:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/04 ... ting-pope/