Did The Conclave intentionally “other” one of their main supporting characters?

When I think of “papal” films, I immediately think of extreme horror— The Exorcist, The Devil Inside, etc. I usually like to stay away from those movies because I enjoy not having to sleep with my light on at night. So, it was refreshing when I watched Conclave this year which offered a fresh take on the “papal” theme. Conclave is a captivating thriller that dives into the voting process for the new pope. Some of my favorite actors like Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci stole the show with their memorable performances. 

Besides Conclave slowly becoming one of my favorite films ever, I noticed an otherism theme present in the film that I have noticed all too often before. A black cardinal, although not rare, was up for election for the papacy—which is rare. At the beginning of the movie, Cardinal Adeyemi from Nigeria showed strong favoritism amongst the cardinals towards becoming the next pope. He was a personable, kind and most important— a man of faith. At the peak of his success during the conclave process, a bombshell was dropped that changed the trajectory of his election. He fathered a child thirty-years ago and continued his ministry without divulging this news to anyone. The child was brought up to the regulator of the election process, and thus—his candidacy for the papacy was revoked. As someone who grew up in the Catholic church, I understand how important the vow of chastity is for priests, cardinals, and the pope. However, I cannot help but ponder why this movie chose to eliminate the black cardinal for sexual impropriety. There were other cardinals whose candidacies were withdrawn as well, but for other reasons like “simony” and “pride,” and they were not black. The otherism in this film used towards Cardinal Adeyemi was intentional in my opinion. There is a long-running stereotype that black men are known for being “absent fathers.” I do wonder if the writer of the book realized that using a non-black cardinal would not have as big of an impact to the story as using a black cardinal. 

Are there examples of this same form of otherism in television or film that you have witnessed? What impact do you think it has on black and non-black viewers?