From Sanctity to Difference: The Tragedy of Authority, the Transgender Body, and the Crisis of Legitimacy in Conclave

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohsen sarebannejad 1
Hasan Bolkhari Ghehi 2
1 PhD Graduate in Art Research, Faculty of Visual Arts, Fine Arts Campus, University of Tehran (Corresponding Author)
2 Professor, Advanced Art Studies, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran
10.22034/jcsc.2025.2063845.2837
Abstract
The film Conclave (2024) presents a mysterious and suspenseful portrayal of the papal election process within the closed and ritualized space of the Catholic Church. However, its final scenes transcend the scope of a religious drama and transform the narrative into a philosophical reflection on gender, the body, and sacred authority. The revelation of the newly elected pope’s transgender identity not only questions long-standing theological structures but also creates an epistemological rupture within the ecclesiastical institution—an institution historically built upon the exclusion of female and non-masculine bodies. This article analyzes the film’s final sequence by integrating perspectives from gender theology, ethical existentialism, power theory, and Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of embodiment, aiming to reexamine the relation between the body, mystery, and religious legitimacy. The silence and astonishment of the cardinals in the face of the "Other" body mark a tragic moment that reveals the rupture between faith and institution. The critique of the Church’s patriarchal hierarchy serves as a historical backdrop for this crisis. This study employs an interpretive analysis of the film, focusing on its final scene, and gathers data through library research and theoretical texts. The findings suggest that the transgender body, as the future pope, becomes a critical intersection of faith, politics, and gender—where the sacred is embodied through difference.
Keywords
Gender
Transgender Body
Sacred Authority
Christian Theology
Conclave (Film)
Subjects
 
 
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Cultural Studies & Communication
Volume 21, Issue 79
Summer 2025
Pages 233-260