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    Is “Conclave” a true story? We check the fact that the book was made into a film
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    Is “Conclave” a true story? We check the fact that the book was made into a film

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    We discuss the voting process depicted in the new papal thriller “Conclave” (now in theaters). Mild spoilers ahead!

    Twice in the past few years I have flown to Rome to report on one of the most mysterious, mysterious and mysterious events in human history: the election of a new pope.

    This event is also known as a conclave, a term that gives its name to a 2016 book-turned-film-thriller by Robert Harris. “Conclave” takes place during a fictional meeting of red-clad cardinals who flock to the Eternal City to cast their vote on who will lead the world’s roughly 1.4 billion Catholics.

    Many are familiar with the final moments of a conclave, when white smoke famously rises from a chimney directly in front of the Sistine Chapel, sending the assembled faithful into a frenzy of jubilation, followed by the appearance of the newly elected pontiff on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

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    But considering the Vatican doesn't really do that Do Hollywood, one wonders how the filmmakers managed to capture the nuanced details – from elaborate clothing to Latin American electoral oaths – on display in the film, which stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow as the discordant Cardinals and Isabella Rossellini can be seen as a curious nun.

    “We got a private tour of the Vatican and they were very friendly and helpful,” says “Conclave” screenwriter Peter Straughan. “So it was really a big research project. It's a fascinating and theatrical world, so you want to get those details right. It’s a very complex thing.”

    Vatican officials seemed to agree with the film's shocking premise, Straughan adds, as well as its depiction of the political machinations of a conclave. “We didn’t want to be toothless in our dealings with the church, which has many flaws, but we wanted to respect the heart of the Catholic Church,” he says.

    Straughan walks USA TODAY through the questions that come up while watching “Conclave.”

    How much of Conclave was actually filmed in the Vatican?

    None. “You can never film in the Vatican,” Straughan says. “We had to come up with alternatives.”

    Most of these alternatives were actually in Rome, which is full of marble-clad buildings from centuries past that can serve as replacements for many of the chambers, stairwells and hallways shown in “Conclave.” (One notable exception: the instantly recognizable interiors of the Sistine Chapel were recreated on a sound stage, and Michelangelo's famous ceiling is a computer-generated replica of the original.)

    Are the 235 Roman Catholic cardinals really sequestered like jurors until they elect a pope?

    Yes. As shown in “Conclave,” the cardinals are only allowed to interact with each other once a Vatican official faces the assembled cardinals and says the words “extra omnes” (or “everyone out”). “No outside information is allowed in or out that could influence the election in any way,” says Straughan.

    However, there are some officials who can act as emissaries if necessary, although the cardinals themselves cannot leave until a successful vote is cast, meaning a cardinal receives two-thirds of the vote and is elected pope. “While some people may switch back and forth, I'm not sure they'll be used as detectives like in our story,” Straughan says.

    Do cardinals gathering in a conclave sleep on the premises?

    The cardinals live in Casa Santa Marta, a fairly simple dormitory on the Vatican grounds. They are allowed to meet in nearby buildings and courtyards and eat together in a cafeteria run by nuns.

    “Visually you see this strange mix of absolute ancient beauty and enormous size, which contrasts with the atmosphere of an almost commercial conference center,” says Straughan. “You get this big stage feeling, with the Sistine Chapel and these men deciding who will represent the Catholics of the world, and then this almost humble backstage feeling. Quite a contrast that makes for a great backdrop.”

    Is the voting process in a papal conclave as formal as shown in “Conclave”?

    When cardinals meet to elect a pope, they vote up to four times a day, particularly on the first or second day, to determine which candidates are most likely to receive a majority. As shown in “Conclave,” the voting process is not a noisy affair, but rather solemn and full of ritual. “Every time a cardinal votes, he must go to the bowl where his written vote is cast and say an oath (in Latin),” Straughan says.

    One by one, the cardinals place their folded ballots on a round plate and slide it into an oval urn as they recite an oath. As “Conclave” shows, these ballots are sewn together with a needle and thread and then burned with a chemical to emit either black smoke, meaning stalemate, or white, meaning “habemus papam” — “we have a pope.”

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