(NewsNation) — Cardinals convened in the Sistine Chapel to select the next pope this week, another installment of a time-honored papal tradition — or a scene straight out of the Oscar-winning movie “Conclave,” depending on whom you ask.
Worldwide, 1.4 billion Catholics focused their attention on the chapel’s chimney and its color-coded smoke, which announces the selection of the Catholic Church’s next leader. On Thursday, white smoke billowed, signaling that the next pope, American Robert Prevost, had been chosen.
But for some Zillenials, perhaps the most intriguing part of the secretive conclave process was daily updates from viral account Pope Crave, which goes by the username @ClubConcrave on X.
Pope Crave blogged the entire conclave process live
Whether it’s fact-checking Politico over Ralph Fiennes’ role in the Oscar-winning film “Conclave” or summing up Day 1 of the church’s ancient smoke signal tradition with the words, “(BREAKING) NOOOOOOOOOO POPE,” the account has garnered a sect of its own online.
Pope Crave originated as a fan account of “Conclave” and is now known for its humorous X posts, fan edits and recent fundraising efforts for intersex rights.
A spin on pop culture update account Pop Crave, the “Conclave”-centric profile has essentially live-blogged the entire conclave process and even posted videos from a “correspondent” at the Vatican — American standup comedian Adrianna McCain.
NPR affiliate KQED spoke anonymously with Pope Crave’s admin, who said, “If I didn’t have a job, I would absolutely be in Rome right now.”
McCain told the outlet she thinks the online audience is intrigued by the papal pageantry.
John Lithgow, from left, Ralph Fiennes, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini accepts the award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture for “Conclave” during the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) 
John Lithgow, from left, Ralph Fiennes, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini accepts the award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture for “Conclave” during the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
“I think it’s really cool to be just involved in this weird way, with these cool people who have this hyperfixation with the Catholic Church in a way that, I think, even the pope himself would have been baffled by,” McCain said.
Since its inception, Pope Crave has been spreading online buzz around the film, in turn, bringing the Vatican’s daily intrigue to younger audiences.
Pope Crave raising money for nonprofits, charities
Director Edward Berger said he was “very grateful” for the online attention: “Anything that can bring the generations back together, that’s a wonderful thing.”
Pope Crave is publishing and selling a digital fanzine, containing more than 70 pages of art and writing about the film, for nonprofits and charities, including the Intersex Human Rights Fund.
As of Feb. 11, the project had raised $45,000, according to Pope Crave.
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