It is not often that reality imitates art quite so promptly. Just a month or two after most of us first watched Ralph Fiennes in Conclave, we have a chance to see the real thing. Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, and today in the Sistine Chapel the actual conclave is gathering — the meeting of the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church (or rather all those under 80) to elect a successor over the coming days.
And as with so many “real things” these days, we are watching through the lens provided by a dramatic fiction. Even the most seasoned Vatican commentator will be tempted to ask who in the real conclave corresponds to Stanley Tucci or Lucian Msamati.
