| “ | Cardinal Tremblay: This report is entirely mendacious. Cardinal Lawrence: If the report is mendacious, then why did the Holy Father in his last official act as Pope ask you to resign? |
„ |
| ~ Trembley arguing with Lawrence. |
Cardinal Joseph "Joe" Tremblay is the secondary antagonist of the 2025 political thriller film Conclave, based on the novel of the same name by Robert Harris.
He is a ruthless Canadian Cardinal who seeks to take the Papacy of Vatican II by force by humiliating Cardinal Adeyemi and bribing his fellow Cardinals into voting for him.
He was played by John Lithgow, who also portrayed Lord John Whorfin in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, Lord Farquaad across the Shrek franchise, Lamar Blackburn in The Accountant, Arthur Mitchell in Dexter, Earl Talbot Blake in Ricochet, Eric Qualen in Cliffhanger, Carter Nix and Carter Nix, Sr. in Raising Cain, Jean-Claude in Rugrats, B.Z. in Santa Claus: The Movie, Burke in Blow Out and Glenn Motch in The Campaign.
Personality[]
Tremblay has a professional yet condescending demeanour, alongside an egotistical and proud belief that he will be elected as the next pope.
Biography[]
Though it is not stated in the film, it can be inferred that Cardinal Tremblay was the Vatican's Camerlengo, that is to say in some official charge of finances. He may otherwise have held positions in the Roman Curia or the Papal household.
Cardinal Tremblay arrives at the Vatican following the unexpected death of the Pope. It becomes gradually clear as the other cardinals arrive for the papal conclave, that Tremblay is angling himself as a frontrunner for the papacy.
Before the cardinals are sequestered, a close advisor to the late Pope admits to Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who is in charge of the conclave, the contents of the late Pope and Tremblay's last meeting. Tremblay was allegedly dismissed from his positions because of "gross misconduct". There is also fleeting talk about a report that have to do with these rumours.
During the first ballots, Cardinal Tremblay is positioned as a clear candidate against Cardinal Adeyemi. When an embarrassing scene in the dining room between Adeyemi and a nun unravels to have been an old sex scandal from thirty years earlier, Lawrence concludes that the nun had been deliberately hired by Tremblay in order to embarrass Adeyemi and secure his own chances.
Eager for proof, Lawrence reluctantly breaks in to the late Pope's apartment, which had been sealed off. There he stumbles upon the report against Tremblay. Notes and bank statements find that not only had Tremblay positioned his rivals to fail, but he had been guilty of simony. Specifically, he had bribed his fellow cardinals to vote for him. This is revealed to everyone at breakfast the next morning, and in the penultimate ballot, Tremblay sinks down to just 9 votes out of 108.