If you just finished Edward Berger’s Conclave, you’re probably staring at the screen wondering if you missed a chapter. It’s a lot. The movie, based on Robert Harris’s 2016 novel, isn’t just a political thriller about guys in red robes arguing in a locked room; it’s a high-stakes investigation into the very nature of faith and identity. Ralph Fiennes plays Cardinal Lawrence, a man who is basically the HR manager for the soul of the Catholic Church, and by the time that white smoke finally billows out of the chimney, everything we thought we knew about the frontrunners—Bellini, Tedesco, Adeyemi, and Tremblay—is complete toast.
The ending of Conclave explained is less about who "won" the papacy and more about the "who" that emerged from the shadows.
It hits hard. Honestly, the final twist involving Cardinal Benitez is one of those moments that makes you want to rewind the last ten minutes immediately. It changes the context of every single interaction Benitez had throughout the film. But before we get to the biology of it all, we have to look at how the mighty fell. Lawrence didn't want the job, yet he spent the whole movie inadvertently clearing his own path by exposing the sins of his peers.
The Collapse of the Frontrunners
Most of the movie plays out like a spiritual version of Survivor. You’ve got the liberals versus the conservatives, the ambitious versus the humble.
Cardinal Tremblay, played by John Lithgow, gets axed first because of his own greed. Lawrence discovers that the late Pope had actually dismissed Tremblay right before he died. Why? Because Tremblay was basically campaigning for the throne before the seat was even cold. Then you have Cardinal Adeyemi. He seemed like a lock, representing the growing Church in the Global South, until a woman from his past shows up. It’s a classic scandal—a secret child, a hidden life. In the world of the Vatican, that’s an immediate disqualification.
Then there’s Tedesco. He’s the hardliner. He wants to take the Church back to the 1950s. His downfall isn’t a secret sin; it’s his own mouth. During a tense dinner, his intolerance boils over, and the other Cardinals realize that electing him would essentially start a holy war.
Finally, we have Bellini, the progressive choice. Bellini is the guy Lawrence actually wants to win. But Bellini lacks the stomach for the fight. He’s weary. He’s cynical. By the final ballot, the room realizes they don't want a politician or a traditionalist. They want someone who hasn't been corrupted by the Roman Curia.
Who is Cardinal Benitez?
Enter Cardinal Benitez. He’s the "Archbishop of Kabul," a title that sounds intense because it is. He spent his time in a war zone, not in a palace. This is why the Cardinals gravitate toward him. He’s the "dark horse" who isn't even on the official list at the start of the movie. He was appointed in pectore—meaning "in the heart"—by the late Pope. It’s a real Catholic term for a secret appointment, usually done to protect a Bishop living in a place where being a Christian is dangerous.
Benitez wins. He becomes Pope Innocent.
But then, the twist.
After the election, Lawrence discovers a medical secret. Benitez is intersex. He was born with ambiguous genitalia and raised as a man, but a secret medical visit in Geneva reveals that he has female reproductive anatomy. In the context of the Catholic Church’s strict rules on the priesthood—which is exclusively male—this is a massive, earth-shaking revelation.
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The Theology Behind the Twist
When Lawrence confronts Benitez, he expects a confession or a resignation. Instead, he gets a masterclass in theology.
Benitez doesn’t apologize. He explains that God made him this way. He argues that his existence isn't a mistake or a sin, but a manifestation of God's complexity. "I am what God made me," he basically says. It’s a radical departure from the rigid, binary thinking that usually governs the Vatican.
Lawrence is left with a choice. He can expose Benitez, which would probably destroy the Church’s reputation and cause a schism, or he can let it be. He chooses to let it be. Why? Because throughout the whole movie, Lawrence has been struggling with a "crisis of faith." He realized that certainty is the enemy of faith. If you are 100% sure of everything, you don't need faith.
By accepting Benitez as Pope, Lawrence is embracing the mystery of God. He’s choosing the person who actually lives the Gospel—someone who served the poor in Kabul—over the rules of a bureaucracy.
Why the Ending Actually Works
Some people find the ending of Conclave polarizing. They think it’s a "gotcha" moment or a political statement. But if you look at the themes Berger is playing with, it’s the only ending that makes sense.
The movie is obsessed with the idea of what is "hidden." The secret letters, the hidden reports, the whispered conversations in the hallways. The final secret isn't a scandal of malice, like Tremblay’s or Adeyemi’s. It’s a secret of identity. It forces the characters (and the audience) to ask: What actually makes a Pope? Is it his biology, or is it his spirit?
By choosing to keep the secret, Lawrence finally finds peace. He isn't the Pope, but he has protected the idea of the Church by allowing it to be led by the most Christ-like person in the room, regardless of the Vatican's legalistic definitions of gender.
Actionable Takeaways for the Curious Viewer
If you want to dig deeper into the world Conclave portrays, there are a few real-world rabbit holes worth falling down:
- Research "In Pectore" Appointments: Look up how Popes like John Paul II used secret appointments during the Cold War. It’s a fascinating bit of real-world espionage history within the Church.
- Read the Source Material: Robert Harris’s novel handles the ending slightly differently in tone, providing more internal monologue for Lawrence that clarifies his decision-making process.
- Watch for the Color Palette: Re-watch the film and notice how the color red is used. It’s meant to symbolize blood and sacrifice, but also the "prison" of the office. Notice how Benitez often stands in natural light compared to the others.
- Explore Intersex Advocacy: To understand the biological reality mentioned in the film, look into organizations like interact (Advocates for Intersex Youth) to understand how these conditions are managed in the real world outside of theological drama.
The movie ends with the white smoke, but the real story starts after the credits roll. The Church is changed forever, not because of a policy shift, but because of the person sitting on the throne.
Next Steps for Deepening Your Understanding:
- Compare the film's depiction of the voting process with the actual Universi Dominici Gregis, the apostolic constitution that governs how a real Conclave is run.
- Investigate the history of the "Popess Joan" myth, which likely inspired some of the themes in Harris's original story.
- Analyze the final shot of the film—the framing of the windows and the light—to see how it mirrors the opening scene's sense of confinement versus the ending's sense of "opening up."