SAG Awards 2025: Conclave Cast Sends Message to Pope Francis Amid Hospitalization

It has not gone unnoticed that, as Conclave has been racking up honors during award season, that the real pope has been hospitalized.

And so in presenting scenes from the film about the intrigue-filled process of choosing a new pope after the death of his predecessor at the 2025 SAG Awards, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nominees (and later winners) Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini, John Lithgow and Sergio Castellitto first paid tribute to the ailing pontiff.

“First of all, we would like to wish Pope Francis a quick recovery,” Rossellini began the segment. (Alas, her mic wasn’t on all the way, not the first sound issue of the night, so Fiennes encouraged her to start again.)

“Conclave is the secret meeting where the new pope is elected,” continued the Italian actress, “and this is what this film is about. It all happens behind the secret world of the Vatican.”

Added Fiennes, “A papal election turns into a battleground for competing agendas and egos, leaving no candidate safe from…” He paused, before quipping about whether he should pronounce “inquiry” with a long i sound or not.