At the end of Conclave (the 2024 papal‑thriller film), Cardinal Vincent Benitez is unexpectedly elected the new pope after a terrorist attack and a moral showdown inside the Sistine Chapel. The final twist reveals that Benitez is intersex, a secret the late pope knew, accepted, and quietly protected, which reframes the whole story as a risky but hopeful push toward a more inclusive future for the Church.

What Happened at the End of Conclave?

The papal vote and the “upset” winner

Several powerful cardinals start as frontrunners, each representing a different vision for the Church: conservative, progressive, reactionary, and moderate. As scandals and revelations emerge, their candidacies crumble one by one, and attention shifts toward the quieter, lesser‑known Cardinal Vincent Benitez.

During the final stages of the conclave, a bomb explodes outside the Vatican, shaking the Sistine Chapel and intensifying the ideological split among the cardinals. Cardinal Tedesco responds by calling for a holy war and a harsh response, while Benitez counters with a powerful speech insisting that violence must not be met with more violence and that the Church must lead with compassion and look to the future.

Moved by Benitez’s words, the college of cardinals gradually rallies around him. On the seventh ballot, they elect him pope, and he chooses the name “Innocent.” The choice of name signals a desire for renewal and moral clarity after a period of corruption, secrecy, and internal political maneuvering.

Lawrence’s investigation and the “mystery trip”

Cardinal Lawrence, who oversees the conclave, spends much of the film quietly investigating strange details around Benitez and the late pope. One detail that troubles him is paperwork suggesting that the late pope approved a secret medical trip for Benitez, flying him from Afghanistan (where he served as archbishop of Kabul) to Switzerland for a procedure.

Initially, Lawrence fears this means the likely new pope is gravely ill and might not be able to serve for long. He urges his aides to dig deeper, suspecting that the outgoing pontiff hid a serious health issue from the rest of the Church hierarchy.

Only after Benitez’s election does Lawrence confront him directly and ask what the Swiss trip was really about. That private conversation is what unlocks the final twist of the film.

The final twist: Benitez’s secret

In the last act, Benitez tells Lawrence that he is intersex: he was born with a uterus and ovaries, even though he identifies and lives as a man. The Swiss appointment was for a planned laparoscopic hysterectomy, which would have removed those organs; Benitez ultimately decided not to go through with the operation.

He explains that he chose to remain as he is because he believes he is “as God made me.” The late pope knew this and still supported and promoted him, even elevating Benitez “in pectore” (in secret), shielding him from the institutional backlash that such a revelation might cause.

This disclosure is never made public within the world of the film. To the crowd in St. Peter’s Square, Benitez is simply the new Pope Innocent, but the audience and Lawrence now know that the new leader of the Catholic Church embodies a direct challenge to traditional doctrines about sex, gender, and embodiment.

What the ending means inside the story

The ending works on a few levels within the film’s own logic:

  • A test of conscience for Lawrence
    Lawrence begins the story disillusioned and burdened by secrets, but by the end, he accepts Benitez’s election and chooses to stay in his role to help guide this new papacy rather than retreat into retirement. His decision signals a renewed faith and a willingness to support a more fragile, controversial future.
  • A statement about the late pope
    The dead pope, whose shadow looms over everything, is revealed as someone who quietly defied parts of his own institution: he knew about Benitez’s intersex status and, instead of condemning him, encouraged him to embrace it and still called him to leadership. This casts the previous pontificate as more quietly radical than many characters realized.
  • A metaphor for a changing church
    Having an intersex pope is not portrayed as a sensational twist for its own sake but as a symbol of a Church that may be forced to confront the reality of complex human identities. The last images—Rome’s light and outside life flooding into previously closed, shadowy spaces—underline the idea of fresh air, openness, and the entry of previously excluded voices.

An illustrative example: the bomb scene and Benitez’s response draw a clear contrast between using faith to justify retaliation versus using it to justify mercy; the twist about his body then turns that moral contrast into something embodied and personal, not just theoretical.

Why the ending caused so much discussion

Reactions to Conclave ’s ending have been very mixed; that’s a big part of why “what happened at the end of Conclave ” became a trending question and forum topic.

Common viewpoints include:

  • “Brave and thematically consistent” camp
    • They argue the twist fits the film’s ongoing themes of hypocrisy, hidden truths, and the tension between doctrine and compassion.
* From this perspective, making the new pope intersex forces characters (and viewers) to confront whether the Church truly believes “all are made in God’s image.”
  • “Cheap twist” or “out of nowhere” camp
    • Some critics and commentators feel the film doesn’t lay enough groundwork for the intersex reveal, so it lands as a shock chosen mainly to provoke controversy.
* They argue that if you introduce such a loaded topic in the final minutes, the story should be more explicitly about that struggle throughout, not just at the end.
  • “Interesting but underdeveloped” middle ground
    • Others see the idea as intriguing but feel the film doesn’t fully explore what such a papacy would mean in practice—politically, theologically, or socially.
* For them, the ending works as a starting point for debate rather than a fully satisfying narrative resolution.

In recent discussions (especially since late 2025 and early 2026), the film is often brought up whenever people talk about representation in religion‑themed media, or about how thrillers can double as commentary on institutions like the Vatican.

Mini FAQ: Quick answers

Who becomes pope at the end of Conclave?
Cardinal Vincent Benitez is elected pope on the seventh ballot and takes the papal name Innocent.

What was the bomb about?
A terrorist bomb detonates outside the Vatican, shaking the conclave and prompting a clash between a vengeful, warlike response (Tedesco) and a peaceful, compassionate response (Benitez). This moment helps swing the votes toward Benitez.

What is Benitez’s secret?
He is intersex—born with both testes and internal female reproductive organs—and chose not to have them removed, believing he should remain as he is.

Did the previous pope know?
Yes. The late pope knew about Benitez’s intersex status, supported him, arranged his secret elevation, and encouraged him to accept himself as created by God.

What happens to Lawrence?
Lawrence abandons his plan to retire and instead recommits himself to serving under the new pope, implying he will help steward this unexpected and potentially transformative papacy.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.