Conclave

Vincent Cardinal Benítez is the Archbishop of Baghdad. He is a Filipino clergyman who was appointed to the rank of cardinal in pectore by the late pope. The secrecy of his appointment is initially attributed to his safety in Iraq, though Lomeli suspects there is another reason for the pope’s discretion. 

Benítez’s ecclesiastical career is defined by his devotion to missionary work and pastoral care. This stems from his childhood living in poverty. After working with several missions in Manila, he volunteered for missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq. He gained a reputation among the local cardinals, who recognize him for his pastoral work when he arrives at the conclave. This also allowed him to stand out to the pope, whom he first met during a tour of Africa. His missionary work makes him a foil for the cardinals who live luxurious lifestyles in the Vatican.

Benítez is characterized as meek, though he is capable of speaking up for himself as he does before the college in Chapter 17. He remains steadfast and committed to his values, which he uses to challenge Lomeli after the dean encourages him to give his vote to Tremblay. Benítez nevertheless remains consistent with his choice to vote for Lomeli as pope. It is ambiguous whether he is voting with the knowledge of the pope’s assessment of him or if he is voting primarily based on Lomeli’s generosity toward him at the conclave.

In any case, Benítez is ultimately elected pope. The limitation of the novel to Lomeli’s perspective prevents the reader from learning why the college had chosen him over the dean, who had a lead on Benítez in the seventh ballot. However, support for the newcomer had grown over the seven ballots, pushing him from last place to third place as more cardinals became acquainted with him. When he speaks before the eighth ballot, he answers Tedesco’s xenophobic comments about people in the Middle East by relating his experiences of American interventionism and violence. It is possible that his experience, paired with the coordinated attack across Europe, contributes to the college’s decision to elect Benítez pope.

The final plot twist of the novel concerns Benítez’s identity as an intersex person. This represents the biggest break in papal history as the Church has restricted itself to including only cis-male Catholics within its leadership. Although Lomeli is concerned with how to manage the revelation of the new pope’s intersex identity in the long run, Benítez reminds him of their shared belief that the conclave is a manifestation of divine providence. From their perspective, there is no reason to believe that God does not endorse Benítez’s leadership of the Church, perhaps even suggesting that his perspective is necessary to strengthen its place in modern society.

Joseph Cardinal Tremblay is one of several antagonists in the novel. He is the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, putting him in charge of the Vatican’s finances. This enables him to abuse his office. It is revealed in Chapter 14 that Tremblay used his finances to buy votes in support of his bid for the papacy. Tremblay preyed on the cardinals representing some of the poorest missions in the world, leveraging the inequitable distribution of Vatican funding to strengthen his power over those cardinals.

Tremblay is motivated by his ego and vanity. In the pope’s report on the cardinals, he is revealed to live in a large apartment, more than 10 times the size of the pope’s. When he is first introduced at the pope’s deathbed, he tries to assert control over the situation to informally open his bid for the papacy. He does not hesitate to put himself before the press in order to dominate the historical narratives around the death of the pope. He also undermines Lomeli to prevent him from overshadowing him as the man who will organize and moderate the pope’s succession. His tendency to undermine others culminates in the reveal that he sabotaged Adeyemi’s chances at the papacy by exposing his sexual abuse scandal.

Unlike the other frontrunners, who represent a variety of political stances within the Church, Tremblay presents himself as a moderate who can appeal to traditionalists and liberals alike. He never pushes forward a political agenda but acts like a diplomat, working across factions to gain their support. This allows him to gain a brief lead during the fifth ballot when the conclave is expected to end. In turn, Bellini moves to support Tremblay, believing that the cardinal’s moderate position can be leveraged to the liberals’ advantage.

Tremblay’s ambition also opens him to cowardice. He frequently lies when confronted with the truth of his actions. On at least two occasions, he hides behind the name of the late pope to justify his actions. Because the late pope cannot speak for himself, it is a convenient excuse that he believes will free him from greater scrutiny.