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Plot After The Pope Dies Of A Heart Attack, The College Of Cardinals, Under The Leadership Of Its Dean, Thomas Lawrence Of The United Kingdom, Convenes To Elect His Successor. The Four Leading Candidates Are Aldo Bellini Of The United States, A Progressive; Joshua Adeyemi Of Nigeria, A Social Conservative; Joseph Tremblay Of Canada, A Moderate; And Goffredo Tedesco Of Italy, A Staunch Traditionalist. Eating With Tedesco, Lawrence Hears Him Lament The End Of The Latin Mass And Make Racist-leaning Comments About African Cardinals. Janusz Woźniak, The Prefect Of The Papal Household, Claims The Late Pope Demanded Tremblay's Resignation On The Night He Died, Which Tremblay Denies, While Bellini Tells His Supporters His Goal Is To Prevent Tedesco From Becoming Pope. Meanwhile, Lawrence Is Surprised By The Last-minute Arrival Of Archbishop Vincent Benitez Of Kabul, Whom The Late Pope Named Cardinal In Pectore The Previous Year.[a] He Introduces Benitez At Lunch, And Invites Him To Give A Blessing; Benitez Makes Sure To Pray For The Poor, Sisters, And Other Non-powerful Figures. Lawrence Gives A Homily Encouraging The College To Embrace Uncertainty, Which Some Interpret As A Declaration Of His Papal Ambitions. Following The First Ballot, No One Obtains The Required Two-thirds Majority, Though Adeyemi Has A Slight Edge And Bellini And Lawrence Split The Liberal Vote. Raymond O'malley, Lawrence's Assistant, Compiles Background Information On Benitez, During Which He Learns The Late Pope Paid For His Plane Ticket To Geneva For A Canceled Medical Appointment. On The Second Day, While Breaking For Lunch, The College Witnesses A Confrontation Between Adeyemi And Sister Shanumi, A Nun Recently Transferred From Nigeria To Vatican City. Lawrence Privately Speaks With Shanumi, Who Confesses To An Illicit Relationship That Led To The Birth Of A Son. Though Lawrence Is Bound To Secrecy, He Speaks To Adeyemi, Who Confesses His Guilt. Lawrence Says That Given The Church's Sexual Scandals, Adeyemi Cannot Be Pope; A Whisper Campaign Derails Adeyemi's Candidacy. Bellini Reluctantly Decides To Back Tremblay. Working With Sister Agnes, The Nun Overseeing The Cardinals' Accommodation, Lawrence Discovers Tremblay Arranged For Shanumi's Transfer. When Confronted, Tremblay Claims That He Did So At The Late Pope's Request. Lawrence Then Breaks Into The Late Pope's Quarters And Discovers Documents That Indicate Tremblay Committed Simony. He Shows The Documents To Bellini, Whose Plea Not To Reveal Their Existence Sparks An Argument. On The Third Day, After Revealing Tremblay's Actions, Lawrence Reconciles With Bellini And Agrees To Oppose Tedesco. He Votes For Himself During The Sixth Ballot, Which Is Interrupted By An Explosion That Knocks Him To The Floor And Damages The Sistine Chapel. The College Later Learns The Explosion Was Caused By A Suicide Bomber Who Detonated Himself Near The Vatican, One Of Several Attacks That Have Occurred Throughout Europe. Tedesco Calls For A Religious War Against Islam, While Benitez Says Violence Should Not Be Met With Violence. The College Overwhelmingly Elects Benitez On The Seventh Ballot, And He Chooses The Papal Name Of "Innocent". Lawrence Is Initially Enthused Until O'malley Pulls Him Aside To Discuss The Nature Of Benitez's Canceled Medical Appointment. He Confronts Benitez, Who Reveals That He Was Born With A Uterus And Ovaries But Was Unaware They Existed Until An Appendectomy. The Appointment Was For A Laparoscopic Hysterectomy That Benitez Decided Against Because He Believes That "[He Is] What God Made [Him]." Lawrence, Not Revealing Benitez' Secret, Activates The Furnace Producing White Smoke. He Wanders The Vatican Grounds, Returning One Of The Late Pope's Pet Turtles To The Water, And Listening To The Crowds Cheer Innocent's Election, Before Returning To His Bedroom And Opening The Window, Seeing Several White-clad Nuns Exit A Doorway Under The Gaze Of Statues Of Ancient Roman Male Leaders.

Plot After The Pope Dies Of A Heart Attack, The College Of Cardinals, Under The Leadership Of Its Dean, Thomas Lawrence Of The United Kingdom, Convenes To Elect His Successor. The Four Leading Candidates Are Aldo Bellini Of The United States, A Progressive; Joshua Adeyemi Of Nigeria, A Social Conservative; Joseph Tremblay Of Canada, A Moderate; And Goffredo Tedesco Of Italy, A Staunch Traditionalist. Eating With Tedesco, Lawrence Hears Him Lament The End Of The Latin Mass And Make Racist-leaning Comments About African Cardinals. Janusz Woźniak, The Prefect Of The Papal Household, Claims The Late Pope Demanded Tremblay's Resignation On The Night He Died, Which Tremblay Denies, While Bellini Tells His Supporters His Goal Is To Prevent Tedesco From Becoming Pope. Meanwhile, Lawrence Is Surprised By The Last-minute Arrival Of Archbishop Vincent Benitez Of Kabul, Whom The Late Pope Named Cardinal In Pectore The Previous Year.[a] He Introduces Benitez At Lunch, And Invites Him To Give A Blessing; Benitez Makes Sure To Pray For The Poor, Sisters, And Other Non-powerful Figures. Lawrence Gives A Homily Encouraging The College To Embrace Uncertainty, Which Some Interpret As A Declaration Of His Papal Ambitions. Following The First Ballot, No One Obtains The Required Two-thirds Majority, Though Adeyemi Has A Slight Edge And Bellini And Lawrence Split The Liberal Vote. Raymond O'malley, Lawrence's Assistant, Compiles Background Information On Benitez, During Which He Learns The Late Pope Paid For His Plane Ticket To Geneva For A Canceled Medical Appointment. On The Second Day, While Breaking For Lunch, The College Witnesses A Confrontation Between Adeyemi And Sister Shanumi, A Nun Recently Transferred From Nigeria To Vatican City. Lawrence Privately Speaks With Shanumi, Who Confesses To An Illicit Relationship That Led To The Birth Of A Son. Though Lawrence Is Bound To Secrecy, He Speaks To Adeyemi, Who Confesses His Guilt. Lawrence Says That Given The Church's Sexual Scandals, Adeyemi Cannot Be Pope; A Whisper Campaign Derails Adeyemi's Candidacy. Bellini Reluctantly Decides To Back Tremblay. Working With Sister Agnes, The Nun Overseeing The Cardinals' Accommodation, Lawrence Discovers Tremblay Arranged For Shanumi's Transfer. When Confronted, Tremblay Claims That He Did So At The Late Pope's Request. Lawrence Then Breaks Into The Late Pope's Quarters And Discovers Documents That Indicate Tremblay Committed Simony. He Shows The Documents To Bellini, Whose Plea Not To Reveal Their Existence Sparks An Argument. On The Third Day, After Revealing Tremblay's Actions, Lawrence Reconciles With Bellini And Agrees To Oppose Tedesco. He Votes For Himself During The Sixth Ballot, Which Is Interrupted By An Explosion That Knocks Him To The Floor And Damages The Sistine Chapel. The College Later Learns The Explosion Was Caused By A Suicide Bomber Who Detonated Himself Near The Vatican, One Of Several Attacks That Have Occurred Throughout Europe. Tedesco Calls For A Religious War Against Islam, While Benitez Says Violence Should Not Be Met With Violence. The College Overwhelmingly Elects Benitez On The Seventh Ballot, And He Chooses The Papal Name Of "Innocent". Lawrence Is Initially Enthused Until O'malley Pulls Him Aside To Discuss The Nature Of Benitez's Canceled Medical Appointment. He Confronts Benitez, Who Reveals That He Was Born With A Uterus And Ovaries But Was Unaware They Existed Until An Appendectomy. The Appointment Was For A Laparoscopic Hysterectomy That Benitez Decided Against Because He Believes That "[He Is] What God Made [Him]." Lawrence, Not Revealing Benitez' Secret, Activates The Furnace Producing White Smoke. He Wanders The Vatican Grounds, Returning One Of The Late Pope's Pet Turtles To The Water, And Listening To The Crowds Cheer Innocent's Election, Before Returning To His Bedroom And Opening The Window, Seeing Several White-clad Nuns Exit A Doorway Under The Gaze Of Statues Of Ancient Roman Male Leaders.
Plot

The College of Cardinals gathers to elect a new Pope after the unexpected death of the previous pontiff. The leading candidates represent a range of ideological positions, from the progressive Aldo Bellini to the traditional Goffredo Tedesco. Allegations of misconduct, including simony and sexual impropriety, surround some of the candidates. The election process is disrupted by a terrorist attack, but the relatively unknown Archbishop Vincent Benitez is ultimately elected as Pope Innocent. However, the Dean of the College, Thomas Lawrence, is troubled to learn that Benitez was born intersex, a secret he has kept hidden. The story ends on an ambiguous note, with Lawrence uncertain about the future direction of the Church under Pope Innocent's leadership, amidst the deep divisions and scandals that have rocked the institution.

Title

Papal Conclave

Themes

Papal election • Ideological divisions • Misconduct allegations • Intersex identity • Church scandal

Setting

Vatican City, Rome

Characters

Aldo Bellini • Goffredo Tedesco • Vincent Benitez (Pope Innocent) • Thomas Lawrence

Plot After The Pope Dies Of A Heart Attack, The College Of Cardinals, Under The Leadership Of Its Dean, Thomas Lawrence Of The United Kingdom, Convenes To Elect His Successor. The Four Leading Candidates Are Aldo Bellini Of The United States, A Progressive; Joshua Adeyemi Of Nigeria, A Social Conservative; Joseph Tremblay Of Canada, A Moderate; And Goffredo Tedesco Of Italy, A Staunch Traditionalist. Eating With Tedesco, Lawrence Hears Him Lament The End Of The Latin Mass And Make Racist-leaning Comments About African Cardinals. Janusz Woźniak, The Prefect Of The Papal Household, Claims The Late Pope Demanded Tremblay's Resignation On The Night He Died, Which Tremblay Denies, While Bellini Tells His Supporters His Goal Is To Prevent Tedesco From Becoming Pope. Meanwhile, Lawrence Is Surprised By The Last-minute Arrival Of Archbishop Vincent Benitez Of Kabul, Whom The Late Pope Named Cardinal In Pectore The Previous Year.[a] He Introduces Benitez At Lunch, And Invites Him To Give A Blessing; Benitez Makes Sure To Pray For The Poor, Sisters, And Other Non-powerful Figures. Lawrence Gives A Homily Encouraging The College To Embrace Uncertainty, Which Some Interpret As A Declaration Of His Papal Ambitions. Following The First Ballot, No One Obtains The Required Two-thirds Majority, Though Adeyemi Has A Slight Edge And Bellini And Lawrence Split The Liberal Vote. Raymond O'malley, Lawrence's Assistant, Compiles Background Information On Benitez, During Which He Learns The Late Pope Paid For His Plane Ticket To Geneva For A Canceled Medical Appointment. On The Second Day, While Breaking For Lunch, The College Witnesses A Confrontation Between Adeyemi And Sister Shanumi, A Nun Recently Transferred From Nigeria To Vatican City. Lawrence Privately Speaks With Shanumi, Who Confesses To An Illicit Relationship That Led To The Birth Of A Son. Though Lawrence Is Bound To Secrecy, He Speaks To Adeyemi, Who Confesses His Guilt. Lawrence Says That Given The Church's Sexual Scandals, Adeyemi Cannot Be Pope; A Whisper Campaign Derails Adeyemi's Candidacy. Bellini Reluctantly Decides To Back Tremblay. Working With Sister Agnes, The Nun Overseeing The Cardinals' Accommodation, Lawrence Discovers Tremblay Arranged For Shanumi's Transfer. When Confronted, Tremblay Claims That He Did So At The Late Pope's Request. Lawrence Then Breaks Into The Late Pope's Quarters And Discovers Documents That Indicate Tremblay Committed Simony. He Shows The Documents To Bellini, Whose Plea Not To Reveal Their Existence Sparks An Argument. On The Third Day, After Revealing Tremblay's Actions, Lawrence Reconciles With Bellini And Agrees To Oppose Tedesco. He Votes For Himself During The Sixth Ballot, Which Is Interrupted By An Explosion That Knocks Him To The Floor And Damages The Sistine Chapel. The College Later Learns The Explosion Was Caused By A Suicide Bomber Who Detonated Himself Near The Vatican, One Of Several Attacks That Have Occurred Throughout Europe. Tedesco Calls For A Religious War Against Islam, While Benitez Says Violence Should Not Be Met With Violence. The College Overwhelmingly Elects Benitez On The Seventh Ballot, And He Chooses The Papal Name Of "Innocent". Lawrence Is Initially Enthused Until O'malley Pulls Him Aside To Discuss The Nature Of Benitez's Canceled Medical Appointment. He Confronts Benitez, Who Reveals That He Was Born With A Uterus And Ovaries But Was Unaware They Existed Until An Appendectomy. The Appointment Was For A Laparoscopic Hysterectomy That Benitez Decided Against Because He Believes That "[He Is] What God Made [Him]." Lawrence, Not Revealing Benitez' Secret, Activates The Furnace Producing White Smoke. He Wanders The Vatican Grounds, Returning One Of The Late Pope's Pet Turtles To The Water, And Listening To The Crowds Cheer Innocent's Election, Before Returning To His Bedroom And Opening The Window, Seeing Several White-clad Nuns Exit A Doorway Under The Gaze Of Statues Of Ancient Roman Male Leaders.

Following the unexpected death of the previous Pope from a heart attack, the College of Cardinals convened to elect his successor. The four leading candidates represented a wide range of ideological positions within the Church:

  • Aldo Bellini of the United States - A progressive who sought to modernize the Church and move it in a more socially liberal direction.
  • Joshua Adeyemi of Nigeria - A social conservative who advocated for traditional Catholic doctrine and values.
  • Joseph Tremblay of Canada - A moderate who sought to chart a middle course between the extremes.
  • Goffredo Tedesco of Italy - A staunch traditionalist who lamented the decline of rituals like the Latin Mass.

Scandal and Intrigue

As the election process unfolded, allegations of misconduct swirled around several of the candidates. Janusz Woźniak, the Prefect of the Papal Household, claimed the late Pope had demanded Tremblay's resignation on the night he died - a claim Tremblay denied. Meanwhile, Bellini told his supporters his goal was to prevent Tedesco from becoming Pope, citing Tedesco's racist-leaning comments about African cardinals.

Lawrence, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, was further shocked by the last-minute arrival of Archbishop Vincent Benitez of Kabul, whom the late Pope had secretly elevated to the College the previous year. Benitez proved to be an unexpected wildcard in the election.

The Terrorist Attack

After several rounds of voting failed to produce a winner, the election process was disrupted by a suicide bomber who detonated himself near the Vatican, one of several attacks occurring across Europe. This prompted Tedesco to call for a "religious war against Islam," while Benitez urged that "violence should not be met with violence."

Amidst the chaos, the College overwhelmingly elected Benitez as the new Pope, who chose the name "Innocent." Lawrence was initially enthused, until his assistant revealed troubling information about the nature of Benitez's "canceled medical appointment" the previous year.

Innocent's Secret

When confronted, Benitez revealed that he was born intersex, with both male and female reproductive organs, but had kept this a secret. He had been scheduled for a hysterectomy, but ultimately decided against it, believing "I am what God made me."

Lawrence, not revealing Benitez's secret, activated the furnace to signal the new Pope's election. As he wandered the Vatican grounds, reflecting on the turmoil of the election, Lawrence was left uncertain about the future direction of the Church under Pope Innocent's leadership.