‘Conclave’ writer responds to Megyn Kelly blasting movie as ‘anti-Catholic’: ‘I stand by it’

Hot off his 2025 Golden Globes win, Peter Straughan is sharing his response to Megyn Kelly’s “disgusted” review of Conclave.

On Sunday, the former Fox News anchor shared her thoughts on the BAFTA-nominated film with a viral rant branding it an “anti-Catholic” movie, and expressing her regret over watching it in the first place. Hours later, Conclave and Straughan were honored when the film was awarded Best Screenplay at the Globes. When asked about Kelly’s post backstage, the screenwriter admitted that though he hasn’t yet seen it, he disagrees with her take. 

“I don’t think it’s anti-Catholic,” Straughan said of the film, which he adapted from Robert Harris’ novel of the same name. “I feel the message is the church always having to re-find its spiritual core, because it deals with so much power. That’s always been a difficult balance and it has to constantly go through this.”

​​A former altar boy himself, he added, “That feels like a very central Catholic idea that I was brought up with. I stand by it, as an admittedly lapsed Catholic.”

From its August 2024 premiere at the Telluride Film Festival through its October release in theaters, Conclave has been lauded by critics — but Kelly was not swayed. In her  X post, she called watching the film a “huge mistake,” and dubbed it “the most disgusting anti-Catholic film I have seen in a long time.” 

She went on to spoil the film’s twist ending and name-check its cast, adding, “Shame on Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, & John Lithgow for starring in it & shame on director Edward Berger (among others).”

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Kelly also made it clear that she was offended by the film’s conclusion, writing, “There are almost no redeeming characters in the movie – every cardinal is morally bankrupt/repulsive.” She noted that the only exception was Fiennes’ secret-keeping Cardinal Lawrence, who endures a crisis of faith partially prompted by the underdog candidate portrayed by Carlos Diehz.

She added, “They would never do this to Muslims, but Christians/Catholics are always fair game to mock/belittle/smear.”

While Fiennes has not voiced a response to Kelly’s comments, he previously spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the film, and praised the screenplay for its approach to its morally complex characters.

“It wasn’t sentimental. It showed fallibility; it showed doubt; it showed the humanness,” Fiennes observed. “It was neither a cynical takedown or satire on the Vatican, nor was it preaching and overly religious…. The big question is: Who is worthy? Who is the right person to become Pope? Who will have the spiritual foundation and integrity to hold that position?”

Kelly’s condemnation aside, Conclave was awarded at the Globes, and Straughan made sure to credit his collaborators after taking to the stage.

“I am just one pure ball of gratitude squeezed into a borrowed tux,” he began. “Thank you to Robert Harris for writing a gift of a book. A third of this is yours. Edward Berger, dream director, you get a third of this. Ralph, John, Stanley, Isabella [Rossellini], fantastic ensemble cast, I can’t give you a third of this ’cause I’ve just done the last [of it] and that wouldn’t leave me with anything.”

Holding up the statuette, he joked, “You can borrow this any weekend you want.”