Pope Leo XIV Watched Conclave Before Being Elected the New Pope (Yes, Really!)

Perhaps even more than winning an Academy Award, could there be a higher compliment for Edward Berger's Conclave than a real-world cardinal watching it before being elected the new pope? That's exactly what Robert Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV (the first pontiff to be born in the United States) — did ahead of his ascendance as figurehead of the Catholic Church after just two days of voting.

Speaking with NBC News after the result was announced (see below), Prevost's older brother, John, recalled a conversation with his sibling just before the conclave. "First, we [did] Wordle because this is a regular thing. Then we [did] Words with Friends, it's something to keep his mind off life and the real world," he said.

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John continued: Then we [talked] about what's going on and I said, 'Well, do you have your red socks?' That doesn't go over well all the time. I said, 'Are you ready for this? Did you watch the movie Conclave so you know how to behave?' And he had just finished watching the movie Conclave [laughs], so he knew how to behave. It's that kind of stuff because I wanted to take his mind off of it and laugh about something, because this is now an awesome responsibility."

Pope Leo watched Conclave movie before being elected pope

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by author Robert Harris, Conclave chronicles a particularly tumultuous papal election overseen by Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), who is tasked with protecting both the sanctity of the process and the future of the Church itself. The film received critic acclaim and received an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay (Peter Straughan) out of eight total nominations, including one for Best Picture.

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“The mechanism behind the election of a pope is among the most closely guarded secrets in the world,” director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) explains in the production notes. “I was super curious to peek behind those locked doors and find out the details. We can’t know everything, but there are quite a few facts we were able to establish through our research. We feel we got as close to the truth as anyone ever has.” 

Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini, Lucian Msamati, and Sergio Castellitto round out the stellar cast.

Conclave is now available to rent and/or purchase. Click here for more info!