“I Stand By It”: ‘Conclave’ Screenwriter Responds To Controversy Around The Film’s Ending

Peter Straughan, who just won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for Conclave, responded to negative feedback towards the film, specifically regarding its ending. The film is about the careful yet frantic process of selecting a new pope for the Catholic Church after the previous pope suddenly passes.

The film stars Ralph Fiennes and Stanely Tucci, with both of them playing cardinals involved in the election process. It quickly escalates into a dramatic thriller as secrets about cardinals inside the conclave as well as the late pope are revealed. The film currently boasts an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes with an 86% audience score. Conclave was nominated for 5 awards at the 2025 Golden Globes, taking home the prize for Screenplay of a Motion Picture.

In the press room after winning the award, Peter Straughan was asked about a post made by Megyn Kelly where she called the film “anti-Catholic” and that she “made a huge mistake “watching [Conclave].” Straughan had not seen the post, but defended the film by saying, “I don’t think the film is anti-Catholic. I was brought up Catholic. I was an altar boy. I think the core message of Conclave is about the church always having to re-find its spiritual core, because it deals so much with power. That’s always been a careful, difficult balance. To me, that was a very central Catholic ideal that I was brought up with. I stand by it.”

Spoilers for Conclave, but most of the controversy has stemmed from the film’s ending. At the end of the film, Cardinal Benitez, a cardinal who was secretly ordained by the late pope, is revealed to be intersex shortly after being elected pope. Benitez had become a ray of hope in the conclave, reminding the cardinals what the Catholic Church is all about and putting politics aside. Some viewers found the general portrayal of the Catholic Church to be offensive as well as the choice to frame Benitez’s election as a positive outlook for the church to be misguided.

Conclave is now available to rent on digital and is also streaming on Peacock.