How accurate is the movie ‘Conclave’ on electing a new pope? | Religion News

The secretive process to elect a new Roman Catholic pope begins on May 7, two weeks after Pope Francis’s death at age 88.

Fans of the Oscar-nominated movie, “Conclave”, which is about a papal election, might think they have a head start on what’s to come. But how faithful is the movie to the real thing?

Conclave tells the story of Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, dean of the College of Cardinals, played by actor Ralph Fiennes. Lawrence is tasked with leading a papal election or conclave…