How accurate is a movie about a pope based on a book?

We discuss the voting process depicted in the new papal thriller Conclave (in theaters now). Mild spoilers ahead!

Twice in the past years, I jumped on a flight to Rome to highlight one of the most secret, legendary and mysterious events in human history: the election of a new pope.

The event is also known as a conclave, a term derived from Robert Harris’ 2016 book-turned-movie thriller. The events of “Conclave” unfold during a fictional meeting of cardinals in red cloaks who have gathered in the Eternal City to vote for will lead the world’s approximately 1.4 billion Catholics.

Many are familiar with the final moments of the conclave, when white smoke rises from the chimney near the Sistine Chapel, causing frenzied shouts from the assembled faithful, after which the newly elected pontiff appears on the central balcony. Saint Peter’s Basilica.

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But given that the Vatican doesn’t really do that do Hollywood wonders how the filmmakers managed to capture the details, from the fancy clothes to the Latino voting oaths, in the film, which stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow as warring cardinals and Isabella Rossellini as an inquisitive nun.

“We were given a private tour of the Vatican and they were very nice, very helpful actually,” says “Conclave” writer Peter Strogen. “So it was a really big research project. It’s an exciting and theatrical world, so you want to get those details right. It’s a very luxurious thing.”

Vatican officials seemed to agree with the film’s shocking premise, Straughan adds, as well as its portrayal of the conclave’s political machinations. “We didn’t want to be toothless in our approach to a church that has many flaws, but we wanted to respect the heart of the Catholic Church,” he says.

Straughan tells USA TODAY about the questions that come up when watching “The Conclave.”

How much of The Conclave was actually filmed in the Vatican?

None. “You can never film in the Vatican,” Straughan says. “We had to come up with alternatives.”

Most of these alternatives were actually in Rome, which is filled with marble-encrusted buildings from centuries past that can double for many of the chambers, staircases, and corridors featured in The Conclave. (One notable exception: the Sistine Chapel’s instantly recognizable interiors were recreated on a soundstage, and Michelangelo’s famous ceiling is a computerized copy of the real thing.)

Are the 235 Roman Catholic cardinals really isolated like jurors until they elect a pope?

yes As shown in the “Conclave”, when an official representative of the Vatican stands before the assembled cardinals and says the words “extra omnes” (or “all away”), the cardinals are only allowed to communicate with each other. “There should be no information coming in or going out from the outside world that could in any way influence the election,” Straughan says.

However, there are some officials who can act as emissaries if needed, even if the cardinals themselves cannot leave until a successful vote is taken, meaning one cardinal receives two-thirds of the vote and is elected pope. “While some people can go back and forth, I’m not sure they’re being used as detectives like in our story,” Straughan says.

Do cardinals who gather for conclave sleep indoors?

The cardinals are staying at Casa Santa Marta, a rather simple dormitory on the Vatican grounds. They are allowed to mingle in neighboring buildings and courtyards, and to dine together in the cafeteria where the nuns work.

“Visually, you get this strange combination of absolute ancient beauty and sheer scale, contrasted with an almost business convention center feel,” Straughan says. “You get a sense of the big stage when the Sistine Chapel and these people decide who will represent the Catholics of the world, and then you get an almost humble feeling behind the scenes. Quite a contrast, which creates a wonderful atmosphere.”

Is the voting process at a papal conclave as formal as depicted in The Conclave?

When cardinals meet to elect a pope, they vote four times a day, especially in the first day or two, to determine which candidate is most likely to win the majority of votes. As shown in Conclave, the voting process is not a noisy affair, but solemn and full of ritual. “Every time each cardinal votes, he must go to the bowl where his written vote will be placed and recite the oath (in Latin),” says Strogan.

One by one, the cardinals place their folded ballots on a round plate and place it in the oval urn, reciting the oath. As “Conclave” shows, these ballots are sewn together with a needle and thread and then burned with a chemical to create either black smoke, signifying no way out, or white smoke, signifying “habemus papam”—”we have a Pope.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is the story of the “Conclave” true? We fact check the book turned into a movie