There has long been a Vatican taboo against openly talking about a conclave when a pope is sick: It’s considered gauche to speculate about the election of a new pope while the current one is fighting for his life.

There has long been a Vatican taboo against openly talking about a conclave when a pope is sick: It’s considered gauche to speculate about the election of a new pope while the current one is fighting for his life.

As Catholics around the world pray for Pope Francis to recover from health ailments that have left the 88-year-old pontiff in critical condition, "Conclave," a fictional thriller about the process of selecting a new pope,