Robert Harris on 'Conclave': The Pope Election Process and His Novel

Inspiration for 'Conclave'

• 💡 Robert Harris was inspired to write his novel 'Conclave' after watching the 2013 election of Pope Francis on television.
• 🧠 He observed the cardinals' faces filling the windows beside the balcony and likened them to the old Roman Senate, sparking an idea about the politics behind the election.

Research and Fictionalization

• 🔬 Harris conducted extensive research, gaining access to key Vatican locations like the Kaza Santa Marta hostel, the Sistine Chapel, and the Pauline Chapel.
• ✍️ He decided to tell the story through the fictional dean of the College of Cardinals, a narrative device that helped pull the story together.
• 🎭 The novel has been praised for its accuracy, with a minor fictionalization concerning secret voting by cardinals.

The Conclave Process

• 🔒 The cardinal electors are sequestered during the conclave, with their phones and laptops confiscated.
• 🕊️ Harris likens the selection process to secular politics' concept of momentum, where the Holy Spirit guides the cardinals towards a winner after exhaustive ballots.
• 🎯 He notes that conclaves are often surprising, with the eventual winner frequently not being the predicted front-runner, including the election of Pope Francis himself.