When Pope Francis was elected in 2013, the go-to fictional work for Vatican intrigue was “The Godfather Part III.” The final film in Francis Ford Coppola’s crime saga drew inspiration from the sudden (some say suspicious) death of the newly elected Pope John Paul I in 1978, as well as the Banco Ambrosiano scandal of the early 1980s. There was nothing suspicious about Pope Francis’ selection as the head of the Catholic Church, but the funny-hatted fellas can serve for decades (Pope John Paul II held this holiest of holy positions for 27 years). So, when there’s a new election, it’s fun to dive into dark papal intrigue.
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For whatever reason, though, there has been a surge in Pope fiction over the last 12 years. When Pope Francis fell ill earlier in 2025, there was likewise a renewed interest in Edward Berger’s critically acclaimed film adaptation of Robert Harris’ novel “Conclave.” Suddenly, a large chunk of the public (including non-Catholics) had an inside-baseball understanding of how the selection of a new pope works. If you’re on social media, you know full well that this has resulted in a seemingly never-ending flood of “Conclave” references over the last few months. These memes have only tripled since Pope Francis passed away on April 21.
Today, as white smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, people all over the world parked themselves in front of their viewing devices and eagerly awaited the naming of his brand new holiness. The big winner was Pope Leo XIV aka 69-year-old Robert Francis Prevost. From Chicago. That’s right, for the first time in the history of the Catholic Church, we’ve got a (likely) Cubs fan heading up the Vatican.
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We’re still learning about Pope Leo XIV’s views (we do know that he criticized U.S. Vice President JD Vance after his insensitive visit to the Vatican last month and expressed outrage over the murder of George Floyd in 2020), but the novelty of an American Pope is sweeping all over the country. We finally got one! Interestingly, the very idea of an American pope was considered wild enough to serve as the basis for an HBO series starring Jude Law nine years ago. How does this fiction measure up to our reality?
Jude Law plays New Yorker Pope Lenny in The Young Pope
Hopefully, Pope Leo XIV is nothing like Pope Pius XIII from Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Young Pope.” As portrayed by Law, Pius (aka Lenny Belardo from New York City) is a power-hungry pope who does not believe the common people are fit to lay eyes on His Holiness. He assumes control of the Vatican’s political affairs and installs Sister Mary (Diane Keaton), the nun who raised him after he was abandoned by his “hippie” parents at the age of 11, to shield him from his Vatican rivals. Ultimately, he becomes so powerful that he can sway the election of Italy’s Prime Minister. He is on the verge of becoming a one-man global juggernaut at the end of season 1 when a wild plot twist throws everything into doubt.
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Season 2, titled “The New Pope,” is even bolder in its plotting. I won’t spoil anything, but you should know that both seasons received raves for Sorrentino’s gleefully soapy storytelling and Law’s remarkable performance.
So if you’re looking for papal suspense, you no longer have to get your fix from “The Godfather Part III” (which Coppola recut in 2020 as the superior “The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone”). Pope Lenny is here to show you how a brash New Yorker would throw his weight around the Vatican. Don’t mess with my man. He’s popin’ here!
