Director Edward Berger arrives on the red carpet before the screening of the movie “Conclave” at the 19th Rome Film Festival on Saturday, October 26, 2024 in Rome. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

ROME (AP) — A few weeks away from Pope Francis’ 88th birthday, the conspiracy for his successor is well underway at the Vatican.

So, right across town in Rome, ‘Conclave’, a thriller full of back-stabbing, manipulative cardinals who throw morality out the window as they introduce their candidates, was one of the biggest draws at the Rome Film Festival.

This may be a little too close to home, literally and figuratively, for Pope Francis.

Austrian-Swiss director Edward Berger “All Quiet on the Western Front” (2022), based on the 2016 novel “Meeting” by Robert Harris. Berger casts an outstanding Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, dean of the College of Cardinals responsible for organizing the conclave.

The conclave is a centuries-old tradition in which cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican upon the death of a pope to participate in rounds of voting until they elect a new pope. Conclave comes from Latin “cum clave” Meaning “with a key” to indicate that the Cardinals are locked in until they elect a new leader for the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics.

The entire process is carried out under the magnificent frescoed ceiling painted by Michelangelo and his masterpiece. “Last Judgment” The wall behind the altar depicts the fate of people going to heaven or hell. During the entire process, the bishops’ communication with the outside world is cut off and they are forced to retreat into seclusion in the Vatican.

The conclaves are known as a competition without limits, as the cardinals make secret agreements to choose their favorites through secret ballots.

At the end of each voting round, ballots are thrown into a specially constructed stove in the Sistine Chapel, to which a chemical is added to color the smoke.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square and waiting for the result will understand from the smoke coming out of the chimney whether the new pope has been elected or not. Black means the cardinals have not yet chosen a pope, while white means a new pope has been chosen.

‘Conclave’ stars Stanley Tucci as Aldo Bellini, a progressive American cardinal who fights against powerful conservative Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco, played by Sergio Castellitto, and Canadian Cardinal Joseph Tremblay, played by John Lithgow. Nigerian Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi, played by Lucian Msamati, may be the first Black pope, but his homophobic views clash with progressives.

While women remain outside the Vatican conclave and the highest circles of power, they help fulfill modest roles serving the cardinals during the conclave period. Isabella Rossellini plays a nun who surprises with her role as the silent observer who never misses a trick.

Although it is a thriller, the film often comes close to the actual workings and current debates in the Vatican. While the stars of the movie walked the red carpet, some wondered how the movie would be watched in the Vatican.

“Interesting. “Are they sitting in the Vatican watching the ‘Conclave’ news?” actor Fiennes said. “I’m sure there are a few people in the Vatican who will be curious about what the movie is about.”

Despite his age and serious health problems, including a bad knee that forces him to use a wheelchair, Pope Francis shows no sign of slowing down. In August, he undertook his longest and most challenging journey yet, traveling by air to four countries in the Asia-Pacific. This month, he presided over the synod, a three-week meeting of more than 360 bishops and laypeople to discuss the future of the church.

But Francis is not immortal. Discussions have already begun about who his successor might be, but we don’t yet know if the next real conclave will be as exciting as the movie.