VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Social media has become a force to be reckoned with in the gathering of cardinals preparing to elect the next pope, with some already dubbing it the ‘TikTok conclave.”
With memes from the papal funeral, NFL draft-style videos of the cardinals rumored to be leading candidates and AI-generated reels of Pope Francis meeting Jesus and Michael Jackson in heaven, social media is cluttered with pope- and Vatican-related content.
“It seems like the papal conclave is going viral,” said Katie Prejean McGrady, host of SiriusXM’s “The Catholic Channel.”
Of course, social media has become not just a new forum for speculation about who will succeed Francis in the conclave beginning Wednesday (May 7), but the social platforms have become the place to promote favorites and take down other contenders.
Social media existed in 2013 when the cardinals elected Francis — rumors were most likely to ramp up on the now-defunct Vine. This time around, the cardinals themselves have their own social media footprints, and the Vatican, never short on spectacle and fanfare, has brought its panache to Instagram and YouTube.
The influence of the 2024 movie “Conclave,” in which Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci star as cardinals scheming during a papal election, can be felt in the posts, which boast countless images from the movie of Machiavellian, scarlet-clad cardinals smoking cigarettes in Vatican corridors.
Some posters edited clips of the film to the song “Let’s Have a Kiki” by the Scissor Sisters, a pop band forged in New York’s queer nightlife scene. (A kiki is a social gathering linked to queer ballroom culture, where gender nonconformity is celebrated.) Now, with the real conclave about to begin, a viral TikTok has rewritten the song to become, “Let’s Have a Conclave,” performed with dramatic flair. Other influencers are proposing games and activities such as a murder-mystery night turned conclave.
President Trump delivered the first insta-memeable moment by pulling up a chair just before the solemn requiem Mass for Francis to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy inside St. Peter’s Basilica as the crowd assembled outside.
“For your penance, and it’s going to be tremendous, absolutely tremendous, you’re going to say three Hail Marys, maybe the best Hail Marys anyone’s ever said, believe me.” pic.twitter.com/V3i8GbCwXL
— Fr. Paul (@BackwardsFeet) April 26, 2025
The picture of the confessional-like meeting was immediately turned into comedic content on social media, while also providing cardinals attending the conclave a sobering reminder that the next pope will have a say in resolving world conflict. Some prelates told RNS that it inspired them to seek to elect someone up to the task.
The funeral was also the setting for a viral post from Portuguese Cardinal Américo Manuel, among the youngest cardinals, at 51, who took a selfie with two other rookie prelates at the conclave, Ukrainian Cardinal Mykola Bychok, 45, and Italian Cardinal Giorgio Merengo, 50, for his Instagram followers. Some praised the picture as an example of “the first conclave of the selfie generation,” while others strongly criticized it as disrespectful.
Three of the youngest cardinals who will take part in the Conclave: Americo Manuel (51), from Portugal; Cardenal Mykola (45), Ukrainian Greek Catholic cardinal from Australia; and Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, (50), from Mongolia. They took a selfie yesterday in St Peter’s Basilica. pic.twitter.com/8rNa3vUWwA
— Ines San Martin (@inesanma) April 27, 2025
Manuel deleted his Instagram account shortly afterward, but days later, Japanese Cardinal Isao Kikuchi posted a smiling selfie from the bus bringing cardinals to St. Mary Major where the pope was buried.
Other selfies made the rounds, including a video of a young woman attempting to take a picture of herself in front of Francis’ open coffin in St. Peter’s Basilica and being quickly stopped by Vatican personnel. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York also sat for a short video in front of the pope’s remains in a post on April 23.
The Vatican has strict rules concerning secrecy in the period known as Sede Vacante — “empty seat” in Latin, so-named for the time between the death of a pope and the election of another. Aimed at ensuring that no outsiders may influence the election, the secrecy oath cardinals take when they arrive for the preliminary meetings, or general congregations, provides their excuse to dodge journalists seeking comment as they exit their meetings.
But on social media, prelates can still influence — and be influenced. The socials are “the new Roman forum,” said Prejean McGrady. “Maybe 12 years ago, it was happening just in coffee shops and the boardrooms of the various colleges of the world where the seminarians are living, but now it’s also happening online.”
Kim Daniels, a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, or press office, said, “Cardinals are first and foremost called to be good pastors, and they can do that by rooting their engagement with social media in the lived realities of the people they serve.”
While admitting that some cardinals may be influenced by what they see or read on social media, “authentic leadership means listening beyond what’s trending,” Daniels said, adding that “viral narratives can drown out the voices that most need to be heard.”
Dolan has posted several videos since the start of the general congregations, documenting his visit to the Holy Doors where faithful may be forgiven of sins during the Jubilee Year, and from the North American College where he is living while in Rome. Mexican Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, Singaporean Cardinal William Goh and Cardinal Joe Tobin joined other red hats in posting prayerful reflections.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, who formerly headed the diocese of Hong Kong, and Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, both critics of Francis’ theological decisions and his diplomatic overtures toward China, have used their social media platforms to promote prayers for the future of the church. Even fans of the ultra-dignified African conservative Cardinal Robert Sarah have been posting photos relentlessly.
Social media can be a double-edged sword for cardinals considered candidates to be elected pope. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who heads the Italian bishops conference and Francis’ peace envoy to Russia and Ukraine, duly holds sway among his fellow cardinals — but also with Swifties, according to Prejean McGrady, since Taylor Swift fans believe “he’s cute and he looks like Mr. Rogers.”
Conservative social media accounts have used a video of Cardinal Louis Tagle at a Rome karaoke bar singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” (“Imagine there’s no heaven, no religion too,” it goes), but comments were incredibly favorable toward the Filipino prelate, whom they described as relatable and dubbed the “Francis of Asia,” and who was a contender in the last conclave that elected Pope Francis.
Conservative outlet LifeSite News, which published the video soon after Francis’ death, has since deleted the post, and some of Tagle’s fans have asked to stop posting content that might hinder his reputation.
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem posted a video of its leader, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, leaving the diocese to travel to Rome for Francis’ funeral, which ends with the cardinal raising his arms as he bid the crowd farewell. Some felt the video constituted campaigning for pope, a no-no in church culture.
The Vatican seems to be relishing its moment of global attention, publishing “sizzle reels” of the cardinals entering the general congregations, but followed them with footage of prelates gathered in prayer — a reminder that this conclave is not about the noise and chatter online but the difficult task of selecting the right man to speak to 1.4 billion Catholics around the world.