Electing a pope is like TV show The Traitors, says Conclave author Robert Harris

Padraig Moran · CBC Radio

· Posted: May 07, 2025 2:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 hours ago

Author Robert Harris says the authorities and radical dynamics that spell into electing a caller pope aren't wholly dissimilar from what happens successful the world TV contention The Traitors.  

"I deliberation it's to bash with the science of a assemblage … and the conclave is simply a tiny crowd," said Harris, whose 2016 caller Conclave was the ground for the Oscar-winning movie of the aforesaid name.

"An emotion tin prehend a crowd, a radical of men, particularly if they're locked away, that tin determination them 1 mode oregon different rather quickly," helium told The Current's Matt Galloway.

The Traitors is a world TV amusement that selects a fistful of traitors from a larger radical of alleged faithfuls. The faithful are past tasked with rooting retired the traitors done nightly round-table debates and eliminations, successful pursuit of a large currency prize.

Harris says helium sees a parallel successful the conclave that started successful Rome Wednesday, successful the aftermath of the decease of Pope Francis connected April 25. Cardinals from astir the satellite volition confer and vote in seclusion, until achromatic fume alerts the faithful that a caller pontiff has been chosen.

The writer got uncommon entree to the Vatican portion researching his novel, including conversations with cardinals who participated successful erstwhile conclaves. He spoke to Galloway astir the authorities of electing a pope, and however overmuch scheming is truly involved. Here is portion of their conversation.

You were inspired to constitute this successful portion by the past conclave that produced [Pope] Francis. What was it that you saw successful that infinitesimal that got you thinking, there's much to this communicative that I privation to unpack?

Well, I was watching the unrecorded TV sum and the satellite was waiting for whoever had been elected to look connected the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square. And conscionable earlier the caller pope appears, the windows connected either broadside — precocious windows — capable with the faces of the cardinal electors, who've travel on to ticker the caller pope amusement himself. And the camera panned on and showed the faces and determination were each these aged men: crafty, benign, cunning, tired, exultant. And I was penning novels astir Cicero and I thought, "That is the Roman Senate." That's what it would person looked like. And it made maine deliberation this had been a governmental process. It would beryllium fascinating to find retired however it operated, which is what I past acceptable retired to do.

WATCH | Author Robert Harris connected the concealed process to prime a caller pope:

One of things that's truthful absorbing is that we unrecorded successful this hyper-ultra-connected world, and you person these men who are sealed into the abstraction and they are incapable to connect. What strikes you astir that? 

That's truly portion of the fascination, undoubtedly. The cardinals volition person had their mobile phones and laptops taken disconnected them. They spell into bedrooms wherever the windows are sealed. Communication with the extracurricular satellite is impossible. And truthful it has a benignant of enigma to statesman with. I can't deliberation of immoderate different governmental process which proceeds similar this. You're besides locked into 1 of the jewels of the Renaissance, beneath the Sistine Chapel ceiling, looking astatine Michelangelo's [The Last Judgement] above the altar. It was built for this purpose. It has an strength of experience, some spiritual and political, that is unmatched anyplace connected earth. 

You've said thing unusual happens, these are your words, thing unusual happens erstwhile you enactment 130 men unneurotic successful a country and unit them to marque a decision. What is that unusual thing?

Well, I deliberation it's to bash with the science of a assemblage … and the conclave is simply a tiny crowd. And an emotion tin prehend a crowd, a radical of men, particularly if they're locked away, that tin determination them 1 mode oregon different rather quickly. I alternatively facetiously compared it to the tv world amusement Traitors. 

WATCH | Why the contention to beryllium the adjacent pope is 'wide open':