Conclave is one of those rare thrillers that keep you hooked from start to finish while also teaching you something about our world. Set during the election for a new pope, the movie uses many of the real-life rules and dynamics of a conclave to build suspense, including the tradition of the chosen cardinal choosing a new name as pontiff. Two cardinals face this hugely important moment, choosing different names to be used should they be elected. This is a famous tradition in the Catholic Church and, in the movie, one that is much more important than it might seem.
Choosing a Regnal Name Isn’t Mandatory, but It’s a Tradition

Image via Focus Features

Whenever the Church has to elect a new pope, the new pontiff chooses a new name with which to rule as the new head of the Holy See and serve as the Vatican Chief of State. This is a regnal name, the same principle that members of royalty follow upon reaching the throne. The idea is to send a message to the faithful and the Church itself about how the pope will rule, either by referencing past pontiffs or establishing a new name. Over the centuries, there have been 23 Johns, for example, but only one Francis so far (the current pope). In Conclave, Dean Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) chooses John, while Cardinal Vincent Benítez (Carlos Diehz) chooses Innocent.

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Technically, popes don’t have to choose a regnal name, but it has been an unbroken tradition since the 16th century, the last pontiff to not choose one being Pope Marcellus II. According to historian Richard McBrien, this tradition began with Pope John II, who was elected in 533 A.D. and didn’t want to use his birth name, Mercurius, because it was the name of a pagan deity. It’s also said that he referenced the fact that Saint Peter, the first pope and founder of the Catholic Church, also got a new name from Jesus (his birth name was Simon), which would justify regnal names. The only consensus is that no newly elected pope should choose the name Peter, reserved only for the saint.
The Name John Invokes Millennia of Tradition Within the Catholic Church

Dean Lawrence states multiple times during Conclave that he doesn’t want to be pope, but, eventually, he has to face this prospect if he and his allies are to beat ultra-conservatives like Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto). In a touching scene, he is asked by Cardinal Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci) which name he would choose as pope, and he chooses John. This would make him John XXIV, aligning with a joke made by real-life Pope Francis that his successor would choose this name. It’s a long line that dates back to the early Middle Ages and is significant for both the Catholic Church and the papacy, and one that often preaches unity among Christians and with other religions.
There are many saints named John in Catholic history, but perhaps the best explanation of why a pope would choose this name comes from John XXIII, who chose it as a reference to the two men who were the closest to Jesus—John the Baptist and John the Evangelist—according to McBrien. Leaning on these references would be crucial for Dean Lawrence upon election, since his first task would be to appease the many egos among the cardinals and try to guide the Church into a new era of coexistence and understanding with other religions, seeing how there are multiple terrorist attacks during the movie that are attributed to religious extremists.
Why Does Cardinal Benítez Choose the Name Innocent?

The election of Cardinal Benítez in Conclave comes not only as a surprise but also as a relief. A young Mexican, he understands the reality of Christianity beyond what the old men in the Vatican think they know. Latin America has around 41% of all the Catholic population in the world but has often been sidelined in favor of older European cardinals. Benítez has also served in dangerous places beyond the Church’s reach, like Afghanistan, making him an unusual choice. Most importantly, though, he is later revealed to be an intersex individual whom the previous pope helped and seemingly chose as his successor, and, for more conservative cardinals and followers, all these reasons would make him an undesirable person to become pope, which is why he chooses the name Innocent, making him Innocent XIV.
Talking to Vanity Fair, director Edward Berger mentions that Benítez chooses Innocent because “it’s a name of purity without any preconceptions.” “Benitez comes to us with absolute openness,” says the filmmaker, and that’s what the name is about, because, even after his election and confrontation with Dean Lawrence, Benítez remains open and true to who he is—”I am what God made me,” he tells Lawrence, and that could be considered true about everyone. Benítez is truly innocent, and he strongly believes in innocence. Curiously enough, the last pope with such a name was Innocent XIII, who was seen as a reformist who controlled spending and nepotism in the Church in the 18th century, while the most famous one, Innocent III, actually expanded on the Crusades in the 13th century, something that Cardinal Tedesco would certainly approve of.
Conclave is available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.