How Conclave and Gen Z Turned the Papal Election Into a Meme Apocalypse

Welcome to one of the most absurd—and unexpectedly entertaining—things the internet has delivered in 2025: Gen Z going into full-blown viral frenzy over the election of a new pope. Yep, it happened. And it all started with a movie no one expected to kick off a meme circus.

It All Started with Conclave

When Conclave—the Oscar-nominated film starring Ralph Fiennes—premiered late last year, most people expected a quiet “Sunday afternoon on PBS” vibe meant for theology nerds and retirees. But… nope.

The film became a cult hit—and not in the Vatican sense. TikTok, Tumblr, and Twitter (we still refuse to call it X) exploded with memes, edits, and posts comparing the papal meetings to RuPaul’s Drag Race.

“Conclave slaps. It’s Gossip Girl: Vatican Edition,” one user wrote.
Others dubbed it “Succession, but with incense and crucifixes.”

It was Gen Z’s first real taste of the Pope’s backstage drama—and they wanted more.

Then Pope Francis Died—And Everything Went Off the Rails

As if the universe itself had been doomscrolling Twitter, Pope Francis passed away just months after Conclave fever peaked. And suddenly, the fiction turned real. A new pope had to be chosen. An actual conclave was about to happen. And the internet? Went full cardinal crazy.

This wasn’t a solemn moment of reflection on faith and tradition—it was a viral race to see who could post the wildest, funniest, and most absurd papal election memes.

When Everything Becomes a Meme—Even Religion

This wasn’t just about Conclave. It was part of a broader trend: Gen Z and online trolls turning literally everything into memes—no matter how serious or sacred. Elections, death, natural disasters—and now the Pope. Why? Because nothing is sacred when everything is viral.

It’s almost like: if you’re not making a joke about it, are you even part of the conversation? That ironic distance is both armor and a social language.

And the result? A tsunami of tweets, TikToks, and image posts combining The Sims, Vatican drip, “smoke check” reels, and PopeTok with devastating creativity.

“POV: You’re sitting in the Sistine Chapel hoping your fave pope fancast wins.”
“New pope just dropped—and he’s slay.”
“Meme creators entering conclave like it’s Eurovision.”

This Isn’t the End—It’s a New Era

Pope Leo XIV was elected—the first American pope ever. But the meme machine didn’t stop. If anything, it kicked into overdrive. Now that Conclave 2 (the real one) is over, and a new pope has taken the throne, the digital processions continue.

Is it disrespectful? Maybe.
Is it fascinating, wildly creative, and laugh-out-loud hilarious? Absolutely.

The meme pope is dead—long live the meme pope.

Our team may have used AI to assist in the creation of this content, which has been reviewed by our editors.