Papal Thriller ‘Conclave’ Finds Real-Life Parallels Amid Pope Francis’ Health Crisis

The papal thriller “Conclave” has been sweeping awards season, with back-to-back wins at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars. Now, it’s aiming for a hat-trick at Sunday’s Academy Awards. But this cinematic moment of glory comes with an eerie real-life backdrop.

While movie lovers revel in the drama of ecclesiastical politics on screen, the people of Rome—and millions of Catholics worldwide—are deeply preoccupied with the health of the real-life pontiff. Pope Francis, 88, has been hospitalized for over two weeks at Policlinico Agostino Gemelli in Rome, battling pneumonia in both lungs and other infections.

Reports from the Vatican on Sunday morning provided a glimmer of hope. Just two days after experiencing a bronchial spasm that required noninvasive mechanical ventilation, Pope Francis reportedly had a restful night. On Saturday, the Holy See shared that Francis was stable but alternating between mechanical ventilation and high-flow oxygen therapy.

Despite these updates, Friday’s health scare has reignited global concerns about the pope’s prognosis and the future of the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinals and the faithful have been gathering in St. Peter’s Square nightly, fervently praying for his recovery. It’s as if life is leaning dangerously close to imitating art, with the storylines of “Conclave” and the current crisis intertwining in a way no one wanted to see.

Meanwhile, the film’s success has been impossible to ignore. It’s almost ironic how a work of fiction about the election of a new pope is making waves at a time when such a scenario feels uncomfortably plausible. Let’s hope this stays in the realm of Hollywood storytelling for a while longer.