Until a few months ago, if you asked someone what a \u201cconclave\u201d was, they\u2019d probably have no idea. Now, all of a sudden, it\u2019s a catch-word. And that\u2019s mostly thanks to the movie of the same name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not much of a film expert, but I do know that \u201cConclave\u201d won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and that Ralph Fiennes was nominated Best Actor for his role as a progressively-minded prelate who\u2019s, well, not everything he appears to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, to tell you any more would be to spoil the ending and the plot. Which actually spoils itself because of its absurd and abysmal construction\u2026 But that\u2019s another story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not here to critique \u201cConclave\u201d. I\u2019m here to consider context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even if you haven\u2019t seen the movie, you\u2019ve probably seen previews and posters \u2013 all of which display scarlet-robed, lace-lined, Princes of the Church intent on scheming and power-bargaining their way to electing a new Successor of Peter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, if the film had simply been a fictional costume-drama set in the 16th century it might even have worked. But this is the 21st Century and the Church is definitely not cloak-and-dagger fiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just over 150 years ago, the Italian State was born and the papacy lost all temporal power. The pope literally became a \u201cprisoner of the Vatican\u201d \u2013 an area that\u2019s smaller than most public parks, and with an annual budget that\u2019s less than that of many American universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being a pope today isn\u2019t about power. It\u2019s about service. It means washing the feet of criminals in a Rome prison, or kneeling before Sudanese warlords, pleading with them to stop fighting each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being a pope today means being ready to go where other world leaders haven\u2019t the courage to go, like war-ravaged Iraq or the Central African Republic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s no longer pomp and circumstance that makes a pope. It\u2019s spending time with the sick and suffering, with the homeless and refugees, offering comfort and consolation in a world that too often forgets how to hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What \u201cConclave\u201d the movie doesn\u2019t get is how hard the Church and her representatives really work to fill the gaps left by society and politicians. The image of slandering, scheming, backstabbing, power-hungry cardinals may provide an evening\u2019s cheap entertainment, but it hardly reflects the harsh reality that present-day popes, together with their closest collaborators, are called to face \u2013 all over the world, all of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cConclave\u201d the movie is about political power. The papacy is about moral authority. And moral authority is about speaking wisely and acting virtuously \u2013 not for personal gain, but to promote the Common Good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe we should award the Pope an Oscar for \u201cBest Outstanding Achievements\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SPL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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