In the film, The Godfather, Part III (1990),
Cardinal Lamberto laments that Christianity,
like water surrounding a stone that is in a water fountain, has not seeped into
European culture even after centuries of being in Europe. Watching the movie, Conclave (2024), a person
could say the same thing about the Roman Catholic Church, though the ending does
provide some hope that internecine fighting and pettiness for power, even aside
from the sexual-abuse epidemic by clergy, need not win the day.
Concerning the dead pope, we
are told at the beginning of the movie that he never had any doubts about God;
what he had lost faith in was the Church. Through the movie, the reason is
obvious. At one point, the new Cardinal Benitez from Kabul, Afghanistan aptly
characterizes his fellow cardinals as “small petty men” concerned with power. Even
thusly characterized, the cardinals elect Cardinal Benitez as pope, and it is
only fitting that he chooses the name, Innocent. It is in the innocence of a
person who has no ambition to be pope and is genuinely surprised to be elected
that the Church has hope.
The outcome of the election is
subtly anticipated early on by the notably unique sincerity in the blessing of
the food that Cardinal Benitez gives at the beginning of the conclave, and is
implicitly guaranteed by the rebuttal that he later makes in front of the other
cardinals to Cardinal Tedesco’s claim that the Church is at war with Muslims. After
the second bomb, Tedesco declares, “We need a leader who fights these animals,”
who are the Muslims in Europe. Cardinal Benitz disagrees: Inside each of us is
what we are fighting. This is exactly what Mary Magdalene tells Peter and the
other disciples in the upper room after the resurrection in the film, Mary Magdalene (2018);
rather than waiting for Jesus to come on clouds to vanquish the evil Roman
soldiers, the change starts within, “in the transformation of our own hearts.”
Accordingly, the kingdom of God is already here even as it is not yet—pending us
vanquishing the enemy within, which is done in part by being compassionate to
people who are suffering.
In the conclave, “the men who
are dangerous are the men who do want it.” Cardinal Bellini says he doesn’t want it, but
he does. He has progressive views (e.g., more of a role for women in the Curia),
which he refuses to hide in his campaign, and this strategy makes him appear to
have integrity, but he doesn’t. Even though he is a Christian, and even a
cleric, he angerly rebukes Cardinal Lawrence’s claim, “This is a conclave, not
a war,” by saying of Cardinal Tedesco and the conservatism which that cardinal
represents, “This is a war!” This is the first of two mentions of being at war—Tedesco’s
war with Muslims being the second.
Even Cardinal Lawrence, the
dean of the College of Cardinals, who laudably seeks the truth concerning
Cardinal Tremblay and even Cardinal Benitez, is a partisan. The homily that he
gives on the first day of the conclave subtly favors the progressive platform
of Cardinal Bellini, whom Lawrence was still supporting to become pope. Cardinal
Lawrence lauds the Church’s diversity in being comprised of people in different
countries, whereas Cardinal Tedesco wants an Italian pope. “Certainty is great
enemy of unity,” Lawrence tells his brothers. “Certainty is the deadly enemy of
tolerance. . . . Faith walks hand and hand with doubt. Otherwise, there would
be no mystery, and therefore no need for faith.” This message is in line with Cardinal
Bellini’s liberal platform because the presumption of certainly saturates
Cardinal Tedesco’s ideology. As the Cardinals sitting at tables at the first
dinner, Cardinal Tedesco observes that the tables are “divided by language.” He
suggests to Lawrence that the next pope be Italian so it is not Cardinal Adeyeme,
a black African. Cardinal Lawrence is rightly disgusted and leaves the table. Lawrence
even prays with Adeyine as he cries, and puts his hand on Adeyine’s hands even
though Lawrence knows that Adeyine had impregnated a teenage woman when he was 30.
Furthermore, at some point in his search for the truth concerning whether the dead pope had fired Cardinal Tremblay, Cardinal Lawrence tells a bishop, “No more secrets; no more investigations; let God’s will be done.” That Lawrence himself later investigates by entering the sealed-off papal apartment is justified by what he uncovers not only concerning the dead pope, but also Cardinal Tremblay. Finally, Lawrence is justified in keeping Cardinal Benitez’s medical secret after that Cardinal's election. Even though Benitez’s rather unique medical situation technically violates church law, Lawrence earlier said to Cardinal Bellini, “I thought we were here to serve God, not the Curia.”
As truth-oriented as Cardinal Lawrence is, faith without love is for naught in Christian terms. In this regard, Cardinal Benitez steals the show; he is the true protagonist in the end. Just as Mary Magdalene’s rebuttal to Peter on the nature of the kingdom of God gives the film, Mary Magdalene, so much theological value for audiences, it is Cardinal Benitez’s rebuttal to Cardinal Tedesco that the Church is at war with Islam that not only gets that cardinal elected, but also provides the theological value, and thus hope, of Conclave. Take on the enemy within—one’s own hatred of Muslims—rather than fight them, Benitez tells his brothers. He could have gone further by preaching to the petty, power-seeking men: feel and exercise kindness and compassion to Muslims; go out of your way to serve them, especially those who dislike you, for something more is involved spiritually than the much easier, "love thy neighbor as thyself." Then you will find that you have conquered the enemy within and entered the kingdom of God.
