Keeping up with the conclave: TikTok brings Gen Z closer to the Catholic Church

MANILA – Behind the Vatican’s unyielding walls, centuries of secrecy have cloaked the process of choosing the next leader of the Catholic Church. But not this year.

Gen Z – the first generation made up entirely of digital natives born between 1997 and 2012 – are taking the papal conclave into the algorithm age, turning the process of electing a successor to the late Pope Francis into something that feels less like a sacred ritual and more like a Miss Universe contest.

The contestants? Elderly men in red robes. The crown? Spiritual authority over nearly 1.4 billion Catholics.

On video-sharing platform TikTok, American internet personality and comedian Rob Anderson’s clip dubbed the conclave the “Pope Games”, describing it as a “Sistine Chapel sleepover” where cardinals cast their vote for the next pontiff. He then ranked the papabili, or potential popes – using gay terminology to explain where each cardinal stands on Church doctrine, from fundamentalist to reformist to somewhere in between.

Mr Anderson’s irreverent take has gone viral, racking up over five million views and pulling centuries-old Catholic discourse straight into Gen Z’s feed.

Among the breakout stars is

Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle,

67, often dubbed the “Asian Francis” for his warmth and progressive views, traits reminiscent of the late pontiff. On TikTok, Cardinal Tagle has become meme gold: One viral edit shows him joking that he knows only three Polish words: kielbasa (sausage), pierniczki (gingerbread) and vodka. There are also several videos joking that karaoke would be a nightly event at the Vatican if a Filipino becomes the next pope.

In the past, conclaves were decidedly hush-hush events as the world’s faithful watched and waited for days for the results to be declared: white smoke from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel (a decision has been made) or black smoke (the voting continues). The previous conclave was in 2013, when social media was at a nascent stage.

This conclav

e to elect Pope Francis’ successor – which begins on May 7 – is the first to happen in the full glare of social media, with events likely as entertaining as they are insightful.

While blending centuries-old rituals with cheeky or witty online humour is seen by some as creative commentary, others – particularly within Catholic circles – are raising ethical questions about making light of revered traditions. Experts say the phenomenon reflects Gen Z’s instinct to remix serious world events into shared online moments, often blurring the line between respect and satire.

To traditionalists, the conclave’s memeification – or the process of turning issues into easily shared jokes or visuals online called memes – may seem irreverent and disrespectful. But for many Gen Z Catholics and even curious outsiders, the online buzz has become a gateway into real conversations about the future of the Church.

What started as jokes about the cardinals’ robes turned into genuine discourse on the theological and political leanings of papal contenders, and what that would mean to Catholics in the modern age.

For young people like 22-year-old journalism student Ara Chong from the University of the Philippines in Quezon City, near the capital Manila, the memes have made the Church feel relevant again.

“I became interested after seeing posts describing Pope Francis as the ‘diva’ of the Church, and that we need another ‘diva’ like him. That made me curious and got me researching the pope’s role in society, and why the conclave matters so much,” Ms Chong said.

It is an experience shared by some non-Catholics, like Ms Alex Culla, 23. Watching all the conclave meme videos pushed her to research more about where each papal contender stood on issues she cared about.

“There’s like a celebrity culture now surrounding the pope-ables and that made me so invested in the conclave,” said Ms Culla, who is a Christian.

Memes as digital evangelisation

The memeification of the conclave does not surprise Assistant Professor Fitz Torralba, a sociologist who studies religion and pop culture at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology in the southern Philippines.

Humour helps Gen Z process complex issues, he said. “Making jokes is a release of tension. It’s not an attack on the sacred or the elimination of the sanctity of the Church. Rather, it’s a way of participating in these conversations”.

Filipino Jesuit priest Jboy Gonzales, 57, formation director at the Ateneo de Davao University, said the memes can be considered a form of digital evangelisation.

“Sometimes, a meme or even TikTok videos can be great social commentaries about certain aspects of an event. This could lead to further reflection, evaluation and, hopefully, action,” he said.

Social media can also be used to spotlight the Church’s good work in helping migrants, the poor and the marginalised, he said. Memes “can be opportunities for re-engagement, building bridges... promoting listening and dialogue”, he noted.

But he warned that memes cross a line when they mock believers or distort facts. Social media also poses risks of disinformation, with some users spreading edited videos to question the papal contenders’ qualifications.

This aspect worries church leaders like Filipino parish priest Aris Sison, 63, who is also spokesman for the Diocese of Cubao in Quezon City.

He felt sad when told that there were viral videos of Pope Francis’ possible successors even during the nine-day mourning period for the late pontiff. That some videos branded the papabili like beauty pageant contestants is even more difficult for the 63-year-old priest to understand.

“The conclave is a sacred process of choosing the next successor of St Peter. It’s not just a president, it’s not just a mayor, it’s not just a world leader; the Pope is the vicar of Christ,” he said. “I can’t help but say to these social media users: Have a little respect.”

Even a Filipino papal contender, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, 66, has warned against turning sacred rituals into public spectacles. In a Facebook post on April 25, he reminded the faithful not to reduce the conclave to entertainment and cautioned against using social media to campaign for their favourites.

“Creating or sharing campaign videos, even with good intentions, risks turning a sacred discernment into a worldly spectacle. It may inadvertently pressure or politicise the conscience of the electors, and distract from the silence and prayer needed to truly hear the voice of the Spirit,” he wrote.  

TikTok clips as the Church’s new stained glass art?

Religion reporter Paterno Esmaquel II of Manila-based news site Rappler sees the dynamic between faith and the digital medium as a continuation of a long tradition.

He said the Church has long used art – from stained glass windows in churches to famous paintings depicting biblical scenes – to bring its message to believers.

“Now, it’s mediated by technology like TikTok, but the same dynamics are at play,” said Mr Esmaquel, who has a master’s degree in Asian studies, focusing on religion in plural societies, from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. “Religion has long expressed itself through art and symbols. And that’s what we see now in TikTok and all these memes, and people are playing it up through the language of the new generation.”

The Church must make space for humour and, “as Pope Francis has always told us, needs to meet people where they are”, he added.

No doubt the debate over the use of humour with regard to religious matters will continue long after the black smoke turns white at the Vatican. But it is clear that Gen Zers have found a way to engage with the Church, in a way they want to be heard.

In the words of Pope Francis himself: “There is faith in humour.”