VATICAN CITY (AP) — There has long been a Vatican taboo against openly talking about a conclave when a pope is sick: It’s considered gauche to speculate about the election of a new pope while the current one is fighting for his life. And that is certainly true as Pope Francis battles double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.

But the surprising success of “Conclave” the film and its momentum going into Sunday’s Academy Awards have thrust the arcane rules, glorious ceremony and supreme drama of one of the Catholic Church’s most solemn moments into popular culture. And it’s put the Catholic hierarchy in something of a bind as it simultaneously prays for Francis.

The film can’t be dismissed as distasteful or blasphemous, since it treats the gravity of a papal election with respect and accurately portrays the ancient rituals and contemporary problems facing today’s Catholic Church. Both the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano and the Avvenire daily of the Italian bishops conference gave “Conclave” rave reviews.

Granted, those reviews were published before Francis entered the hospital Feb. 14 with a complex lung infection that has taken him out of commission for the longest period of his 12-year papacy.

It’s unclear if the newspapers would have published them after Francis’ health took such a dire turn. That’s even more the case since it’s clear that the figure of Francis is very much present in the film, from the opening scenes of the pope’s death in the Vatican’s modern Santa Marta hotel where Francis chose to live, to one of the figures central to the plot.

But at the very least, the life-imitating-art coincidence of “Conclave” the movie finding mass popular appeal at a time when the world’s media has descended on Rome to monitor every update of Francis’ health has certainly piqued interest in what might happen in a real-life conclave.

Francis was in stable condition Saturday and seemingly improving, a day after he inhaled vomit during a coughing fit and had to be put on noninvasive mechanical ventilation. On Saturday, he was able to get off the ventilator for “long periods” and use high flows of supplemental oxygen instead.

Additionally, there was no evidence of fever or elevated white blood cells that would signal infection, in another positive sign, though doctors said his prognosis remained guarded.

But the gravity of his illness and ups and downs of his recovery have made “Conclave” the film a bit too close for comfort for anyone following Francis’ plight and concerned about what it means for the Catholic Church.

Director Edward Berger’s adaptation of the Robert Harris novel was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It went into Sunday’s Oscars with a Bafta win for best picture and a SAG award for best ensemble.

Harris is well aware of the sensitivity of the moment, and how the surreal turn of events of an ailing pope dovetailing with an Oscar campaign had made his book and the film relevant to say the least. But he is adamant against trying to milk the moment for publicity.

“I’ve been refusing all requests to talk about it and a future conclave because I think that’s in extreme bad taste,” Harris told The Associated Press. “I really hope he’s got some more years yet.”

To recap: The film opens with the death of the pope and turns around the political maneuvering and manipulations behind the election of his successor. Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is dean of the College of Cardinals, who must organize the conclave amid his own crisis of faith.

With the future of the church weighing on him, he has to contend with secrets, scandals, smear campaigns and surprising twists, while ensuring the election’s integrity.