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(NewsNation) — Journalist Megyn Kelly is calling the new thriller ‘Conclave’ an anti-Catholic hit job. And she’s not alone.
On X, Kelly said, “just made the huge mistake of watching the much-celebrated ‘Conclave’ & it is the most disgusting anti-Catholic film I have seen in a long time.” Kelly has 3.4 million followers on the platform and a massively successful podcast on Sirius XM.
“Conclave,” released in the United States in October of 2024, tells the fictional story of a papal conclave and depicts the infighting among the cardinals who are vying for the job and their deepest secrets and scandals. Directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan, the film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in 2024 and received positive reviews from critics for its screenplay, cinematography and acting. But not everyone is praising it.
In addition to Kelly, Catholic leader and media influencer Bishop Robert Barron urged Catholics to skip the movie. “If you are interested in a film about the Catholic Church that could have been written by the editorial board of the New York Times, this is your movie,” Barron said on X. He went on to call the movie “woke,” saying “the hierarchy of the Church is a hotbed of ambition, corruption and desperate egotism, Conservatives are xenophobic extremists and the liberals are self-important schemers.”
‘Conclave’ spoiler: ‘I wish I had known’
Both Kelly and Barron commented on the film’s plot twist. “Spoiler: They make the POPE INTERSEX! … I wish I had known so I wouldn’t have watched it. There are almost no redeeming characters in the movie – every cardinal is morally bankrupt/repulsive. The only exception is the intersex pope (who – surprise! – has female reproductive parts) & the cardinal who keeps her secret – bc of course that kind of Catholic secretary-keeping must be lionized.”
Kelly also railed against the actors and director.
“Shame on Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci & John Lithgow for starting in it & shame on director Edward Berger (among others),” she said. Kelly ended her post with a scathing allegation: “They would never do this to Muslims, but Christians/Catholics are always fair game to mock/belittle/smear.”