What I Hope the Church Learns From That ‘Conclave’ Ending

When Conclave came out in October of last year, I knew that it was thematically relevant, but I didn’t anticipate just how timely it would become. Just six months after the release of the Oscar-winning political thriller about choosing the next pope, Pope Francis passed away — and as of this week, a real-life conclave has been held and a new pope elected. On May 8, Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV. According to Politico, some of the cardinals voting for the first time this year even admitted to watching Conclave beforehand to better understand what they were about to be doing. Art and life continue to intertwine, and there are many moments in Conclave that (intentionally or not) have felt fairly prophetic since its release — both to conversations within the church and those around our political moment.