When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church's most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope's wake--secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church.—Focus Features
The pope is dead. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, 118 Cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world's most secretive election. They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals. Over the next 72 hours, one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure in the world.—olisilumea
After the (unnamed) pope dies of a heart attack, the College of Cardinals gathers in seclusion for a papal conclave to choose the new pope, under the leadership of Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawrence. To Lawrence's surprise, Archbishop Benitez of Kabulshows up, explaining that the old pope secretly made him a cardinal.
The four main candidates for pope are: 1) Bellini, a liberal in the vein of the late pope, 2) Adeyemi, an economic progressive with socially conservative views, 3) Tremblay, a mainstream conservative, and 4) Tedesco, a reactionary. Tedesco wants to abandon the Second Vatican Council's policy of peaceful coexistence with other religions. He is also a racist and abusive to his assistants. In addition, it is implied that Tremblay and Adeyemi used their positions in the Vatican bureaucracy to overwork the pope until he died.As the two leaders of the Church's liberal wing, Bellini and Lawrence are the most logical successors. Both state that they do not want the job, for different reasons. Bellini is clearly interested but believes that feigning reluctance will earn voters' respect. Lawrence's position is more complicated, as he recently tried to resign his post as Dean due to a crisis of faith. Although Lawrence votes for Bellini, Bellini senses that Lawrence is withholding his full support.
Before the first vote, Lawrence gives a speech encouraging the cardinals to embrace diversity, which is seen as a campaign speech. In addition, although Lawrence is not supposed to contact the outside world in conclave, he begins gathering opposition research against several leading candidates, rationalizing to himself that he is merely conducting an independent investigation to protect the Church. The late pope's confidant tells Lawrence that the pope fired Tremblay on the day he died. Tremblay denies this and offers an eyewitness, who defends Tremblay but mentions a report that was "withdrawn."
After the first vote, no candidate is close to the two-thirds majority needed for election. However, Adeyemi has a slight edge. Five cardinals vote for Lawrence, enraging Bellini. Without a unifying liberal candidate, the liberals consolidate behind Adeyemi. To defeat Adeyemi, Bellini (who despises Adeyemi's homophobia) agrees to support Tremblay in exchange for a prestigious bureaucratic appointment.
One of the nuns (who handle catering for the conclave) causes a stir by confronting Adeyemi in the cardinals' cafeteria. She confesses to Lawrence that she had a child with Adeyemi when she was 19 and he 30. Lawrence confronts Adeyemi, who admits the truth and begs for forgiveness. Although Lawrence keeps Adeyemi's secret, a whisper campaign derails Adeyemi's candidacy.
Adeyemi informs Lawrence that the nun was recently reassigned from Africa to the Vatican, and suspects a setup. Lawrence learns from Sister Agnes, the head nun, that Tremblay arranged the move. Lawrence tries to blackmail Tremblay into stepping down, but Tremblay proudly admits that he exposed Adeyemi and accuses Lawrence of manipulating the conclave for personal gain.Lawrence breaks into the late pope's apartment and finds documents showing that Tremblay bribed cardinals for votes. Bellini urges Lawrence to burn the documents, but reconsiders and switches his support to Lawrence. Lawrence and Agnes ruin Tremblay's reputation by publicizing his bribery, leaving Lawrence and Tedesco as the only remaining candidates.
During the fifth vote, a suicide bombing in Rome kills 52 people and damages the Sistine Chapel. Tedesco blames Islamists and calls for the Church to fight against Islam. Benitez, who has worked in the Islamic world, retorts that the Church must move forward rather than cling to tradition. He also chastises the cardinals for focusing on politics and schemes over their religious mission. Moved, the cardinals elect Benitez as pope.
Shortly before Benitez's election is announced, Lawrence is informed that the late pope had paid for Benitez to visit a gender reassignment clinic - news that would force Benitez to step down if made public. He confronts Benitez, who explains that he is intersex, with a penis, uterus, and ovaries. Benitez chose to keep his female organs, as "I am as God made me." Lawrence decides to keep Benitez's secret, as his loyalty to the old pope exceeds his ambition. He stares outside his dormitory window as the crowds cheer Benitez's election.
