Conclave ending explained after viewers urged to watch movie following Pope Francis’ death

It was a week today that Pope Francis passed away at the grand age of 88 on Easter Monday (21 April).

Interestingly, viewership for the 2024 thriller starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini rose a whopping 283 percent on the day of the late Bishop of Rome's death, according to the Guardian.

But what does the ending of Conclave actually mean and just how similar are the events of the film to what actually happens when a pope dies in real life?

Now, the flick, released just six months ago, reveals exactly what happens during the highly secretive process regarding who the next pope will be and how he will be chosen - a tradition that has dated back many centuries in the Catholic faith.

It follows the story of Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes), who is chosen to lead the ancient tradition known as a papal conclave.

The synopsis of the movie reads: "Surrounded by powerful religious leaders in the halls of the Vatican, he soon uncovers a trail of deep secrets that could shake the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church."

But how does it end?

Well, throughout the film, we see a number of different cardinals campaign to become the next pope.

However, they're all sent into a spiral when the archbishop of Kabul, Afghanistan, Cardinal Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz), arrives in Vatican City.

He drops the major bombshell that the last pope made him a cardinal in secret, so he is eligible to both vote for and become the next pope.

The pool of leading candidates soon dries up as Lawrence finds out hidden secrets about them, ultimately resulting in a seriously divided conclave.

Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence in Conclave (Focus Features)

The opposing sides disagree on the future of the Catholic Church and the type of leader they need and, in the midst of one of their votes, the Sistine Chapel is bombed as part of a terrorist attack.

Benitez then makes a speech about the importance of leading with love and peace over violence, off the back of which he is then voted to become the pope during the seventh and final vote, choosing 'Innocent' as his papal name.

The flick then ends when Lawrence pulls Benitez aside before he is officially announced to the public as the new pope.

It is during this meeting that Lawrence confronts Benitez over why he cancelled a planned trip to a clinic in Switzerland, leading the new pope to reveal that he was raised as a male but later learned that he is intersex, meaning his reproductive organs do not fit into the gender binary.

Carlos Diehz as Cardinal Vincent Benitez (Focus Features)

Opening up about the discovery, Benitez - who confided in the previous pope before his death, who didn't seem to have any issue with his medical history - explained that he was getting his appendix removed when doctors discovered that he had both external male genitalia and internal female organs.

The new pope had initially set up an appointment in Switzerland to undergo a laparoscopic hysterectomy to remove his female sex organs.

However, he ultimately decided against it when he realised that he is 'what God made me'.

Being intersex didn't disqualify from the papacy, but it did make him an untraditional selection.

The ending of the film explored how Lawrence and the previous pope's acceptance over Benitez allowed viewers to interpret how the fictional Catholic Church will adapt and change in the future because of its new Bishop of Rome.