Opinion: How the papal conclave became a viral sensation
The newfound, secular-leaning interest was fomented by the well-timed, October premiere of “Conclave,” starring Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci – a cherry on top of other cinematic portrayals of the papacy that captured audiences in the years of Pope Francis, including television drama “The Young Pope” starring Jude Law and Diane Keaton, which premiered in 2016, and biographical drama “The Two Popes,” released in 2019. “The Young Pope,” in particular, cultivated a fascination with the pope’s wardrobe and the material culture of the papacy.
When photos of the actual conclave in the Sistine Chapel emerged, they prompted a popular reaction: “OH MY GOD JUST LIKE IN CONCLAVE (2024)”
The account Pope Crave on X – its name a play on the pop culture news account Pop Crave – has been posting nonstop about the conclave since early this year, starting as a fan art and meme page celebrating “Conclave” the film. It quickly morphed, after the death of Francis in April, into something of a fan page for the actual conclave process and real-life cardinals.
The account began posting less about Tucci and more about Zuppi, the real-life archbishop of Bologna, Italy, who was among those seen as a contender for the papacy.
By the day of the conclave, the account became something of an actual live news feed about the process to elect the new leader of the Catholic Church. By the conclave’s end, the account had nearly 100,000 followers.
Susan Bin, a 30-year-old artist in Dallas who is the lead administrator of Pope Crave, is not Catholic but was exposed to the church and its rituals in an academic sense by studying early Christian art and papal sarcophagi.
Bin created the account after watching “Conclave,” to post fan art and discuss the movie. She also started and co-edited a “Conclave” fan zine for charity, with art inspired by the movie from dozens of artists. The account took on a life of its own.
That so many people have a fascination with the conclave makes sense: it’s a rare event steeped in ritual, spectacle and secrecy.
“It’s the profane and the sacred; it’s political but it’s spiritual. It in itself is a spectacle,” Bin said. It’s also totally closed-off, so quite literally, “the only way we can participate is by memeing,” she said.
“The juxtaposition is extreme,” Bin said of the memeification of such a solemn, religious institution. But in terms of aesthetics and iconography, intrigue around the Catholic church is not so far-fetched, she said. “Didn’t Catholicism invent photo cards? Isn’t Catholicism itself such an interesting nontraditional depiction of masculinity – a display of pageantry.”
Footage of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, another social media favourite, and fellow Filipino cardinals walking down a cobblestone path, was set to the background music of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”: “As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death …”
Another video shared on X superimposes lyrics to Charli XCX’s “Brat” lead single over clips of Zuppi.
Making and circulating memes about this odd process allows young people to “connect with something esoteric and arcane in a way that feels safe, funny and creative,” said Michael Budde, a professor of Catholic studies and political science at DePaul University.
Budde has noticed that very few of the memes are anti-Catholic or anti-religious, which he suspects is due “to the love and respect Pope Francis engendered during his time as pope,” he said. “Many young people found his humility, his humour, and his deep love of the poor and vulnerable at odds with stereotypes of Catholic clergy.”
For all the silliness of the memes, Pope Crave was coming from a place of sincerity and community, and wanting to bring levity and lightness, Bin said. “Pope Francis was a huge believer that an institution that’s as heavy and dogmatic as the church needed lightness,” she said.
– Washington Post
