Secrets of the Conclave

Name: Secrets of the Conclave
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2025-12-22
Rating: 8.5

Featuring unseen footage and with exclusive access to the Vatican, this is the inside story of the papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV, told by the cardinals who were there.

Documentary59m

8.5/10

8.5

TMDB

Storyline

Following the death of Pope Francis, 135 cardinals enter the Vatican in total secrecy to pray, maneuver, and vote among themselves as both electors and candidates in an ancient ritual that determines the future of the Catholic Church.

Trailers

Secrets of the Conclave trailer thumbnail

Official Trailer

Details

Reviews

4 reviews · 3 critics

2 fresh · 1 rotten

Annabel Nugent

RTIndependent (UK)Dec 30, 2025

For your religious scholar, maybe this is riveting stuff, but your average viewer will likely find it a bore.

Anita Singh

RTDaily Telegraph (UK)Dec 30, 2025

In Secrets of the Conclave...some of the 133 cardinals who elected Pope Leo XIV speak candidly about what went on behind the scenes. Their insights are a fascinating mix of the profound and the mundane.

Christopher Stevens

RTDaily Mail (UK)Dec 30, 2025

We heard nothing of the deliberations and, though the frontrunners were named, there were few hints of how anyone voted.

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