New Pope Watches Conclave Movie, Plays Games While Awaiting Conclave

If you've ever been curious about how a prospective Pope spends his leisure time, the answer might surprise you. According to a close family member, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV enjoys downtime activities just like many of us—playing games and watching movies.

As we previously reported, Edward Berger's gripping papal thriller, Conclave, captivated audiences last year. Its "remarkably accurate" depiction of the papal selection process drew the attention of real-life religious leaders, including those involved in this week's actual conclave to elect a new Pope. Among them was Robert Francis Prevost, who has now ascended to the papacy as Pope Leo XIV.

Pope Leo XIV is a gamer, it turns out. Photo by Christopher Furlong / Getty Images.

In a recent interview with NBC, Pope Leo XIV's older brother, John Prevost, shed light on their last conversation before the conclave. The brothers share a daily ritual of playing word games like Wordle and Words with Friends, revealing Pope Leo XIV's love for gaming. John also inquired if his brother had watched the movie Conclave for any tips on the upcoming election.

"He had just finished watching the movie Conclave," John revealed. "So he knew how to behave. So, it's that kind of stuff [that we talk about] — I just wanted to take his mind off of [the upcoming conclave]. Laugh about something."

Directed by Edward Berger, the BAFTA and Oscar-winning film *Conclave* delves into one of the world's most secretive and ancient rituals—the election of a new Pope. The story follows Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), who oversees the covert process following the sudden death of the beloved Pope. As the Church's most influential leaders converge from across the globe and are sequestered in the Vatican, Cardinal Lawrence uncovers a conspiracy and a secret that threatens to shake the foundations of the Church itself.